Turtle Dove Tidbits
by Crimson-Eyes26
Summary: A collection of drabbles and ficlets set within the Turtle Dove universe. Includes stories that fill in any blank spaces in the main story. The rating of some chapters may change depending on the contract. Contains OCs.
1. Journal Entry: April

**Author's Note: Hello there! As I said I would, I'm going to write some drabbles relating to the Turtle Dove 'verse! Some will include journal entries from different characters, scenes I wanted to include in the main story but couldn't, more on Cheyloe and her friends, and more! I can even take requests on a scene you'd like me to write about, just message me if you have one! Well, enjoy these drabbles!**

 **Drabble 1: Takes place between chapters 4 and 5 of Turtle Dove, the night after April returns to the lair while Donnie's missing.**

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Drabble 1: Journal Entry: April

 _Dear Journal:_

 _I never thought I'd be writing about this…but it's really important._

 _When was the last time I wrote in here? It really hasn't been that long…I wrote to you about the night my dad became a mutant bat. I still remember the angry words and obscenities I scribbled in a hurry as soon as I got back to my aunt's place. Every word I wrote reflected my anger at my former best friends. Mikey told me in an oh-so casual fashion that they spilled all those canisters of mutagen across the city and caused Dad to be a casualty. I was so mad I almost tore the paper writing. I swore to them and swore to God even that I never wanted to see them again._

 _And now one of them is missing due to all of this._

 _I remember how devastated Donnie was when I told him I didn't want to see him anymore. He looked like his entire world shattered into pieces. I didn't care at the moment; I just wanted to hold on to my anger. But I was walking to school the other day and heard Leo, Raph, and Mikey up above. It was strange they went out in the daytime, and then I heard them say Donnie was missing. Mikey wanted to ask me if I saw where he was, but Raph said I probably wanted this to happen. Truthfully…I can't deny I thought that. When my dad mutated and I found out the turtles were involved…I honestly wished at that moment that they were dead. And you know the old saying, "be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it"._

 _I went back to the lair last night, and they still haven't found Donnie. Boy, did Raph let me have it. Leo didn't even look very pleased to see me. Raph had a point, though…I heard them frantically search for their brother, and didn't even bother to put my grudge aside and help bring him home. Once Raph went back out to search on his own, I went to Master Splinter and had a long talk with him. First and foremost, I apologized for the things I said and wished towards his sons. I shouldn't have wished any of them dead, because Splinter already lost his wife and daughter to the Shredder. I also got my grief over my dad out, and just let him hug me while I cried my eyes out over him and Donnie. He reassured me, but I could tell he fought not to cry himself._

 _Raph's still not saying much to me. Leo's starting to open up, and Mikey's talking to me like that night never happened. Everything feels different with Donnie absent, and I don't want to feel this kind of 'different'. I want Donnie home. I want to see him and tell him I'm sorry for what I said. What happened to my dad was an accident…an accident shouldn't cost me my best friends in the whole world._

 _I hope Donnie comes back…alive._

 _We can't go on without him._

April dropped the pen out of her grasp and on the sheets of her journal with a thud. She took the moment to glance out the window and look at the sea of buildings surrounding her own. Her T-Phone lay on her nightstand, along with long-forgotten homework and a note from that Casey Jones kid asking her to come watch him practice. Donatello had to be out there somewhere…they just weren't looking hard enough. If she said that out-loud, Raphael would probably have a fit and tell her that it wasn't her business. Donnie was her friend, so it automatically made it her business. It didn't matter that he was his brother; she cared about them and wanted just as badly as they did to bring the purple-masked turtle back to them.

What if he was held captive by the Foot? Or what if the Kraang had him locked up in a cell? There had to be some place they weren't looking. It just felt like Donnie was right under their noses this entire time, so why couldn't he be found? Was it possible…no, that wouldn't be right. What reason would Donnie have to not WANT to be found? It wasn't THAT bad at the lair...was it?

"Donnie…wherever you are, I hope you're safe…" April mumbled before deciding to turn in for the night. She fetched her T-Phone and pulled up Donnie's heavily-edited picture from her files and stared at it. "Goodnight, Donnie…"

If she walked by the Lunar Palace Apartments building a few blocks down, she'd realize Donnie was in under their noses. Or rather…they were under his. But she ignored the nagging feeling that he was closer than she thought…sleep called her name, and she beckoned to that call. So she lay her phone back on the nightstand, pushed her books aside, and plummeted her head onto her pillow for some much-needed rest.


	2. Let the Music Free Your Mind

**Author's Note: In order to take away from the angst of updating Turtle Dove, have a somewhat-fluffy drabble here! In this one, Donnie learns about Chey's music interests and finds himself liking a genre he thought he'd never take into consideration. This gives a little insight in not just Chey's tastes, but Anna's and Kaitlyn's as well. Also, Chey likes to use Bambi eyes on Donnie the first chance she gets.**

 **Drabble 2: Takes place a week before Wormquake.**

* * *

Drabble 2: Let the Music Free Your Mind

"You know, when I imagined your music collection, I certainly didn't imagine this."

Donatello stared in fascination at the well-organized shelf of CDs, ignoring Cheyloe giving him the 'you must think I'm boring' look. Scratch that, he couldn't believe they still used CDs, since they obviously had access to stuff like iTunes. Still, who was he to complain; he and his brothers still listened to music on vinyl records and cassette tapes. He could admit one thing: her selection of music was better than the stuff Mikey picked out. Even if the collection contained stuff like musicals and…was that _Celtic Woman_?

"Hey, I'm a lady with diverse tastes!" Chey defended, still maintaining her cheer. "I'm not a country music fanatic like most people expect of my background. Not everybody who grew up in the boonies likes country music!"

"Well, I certainly didn't expect your tastes to include Celtic music." Donnie teased, pointing to the CD in question.

The brunette glanced at the case and chuckled. "Oh, that's not mine. Anna's the Celtic aficionado. The Broadway soundtracks belong to her, too. I've listened to the _Chicago_ soundtrack, and it's pretty cool. _Cats_ is nice, too."

"So you guys put your CDs together? I did think it was weird that you had Flo Rida in the bunch." The genius turtle mused. "I'm guessing that belongs to Kaitlyn?"

"You guessed right. Don't tell her I said this, but she's a country music fan, and I mean she's been to who knows how many concerts every chance she gets." Chey whispered, pretending to gossip and failing to hide a cheeky grin. She turned back to the shelf and added, "Now, let me show you MY collection."

The purple-masked turtle watched the brunette point to the section of CDs smack-dab in the middle of the shelf. With a nod of granted permission from her, he took the CDs one-by-one and examined the covers and song lists on all of them. When she said she had diverse tastes, she wasn't kidding. He saw electronic, 80's, hard rock, pop, instrumental, ballads, and so on. The artists even surprised him, making him realize there was more to Cheyloe than she let on.

"Rob Thomas, M83, Daft Punk…who the heck is .38 Special?" Donnie murmured, looking over the CD pile he now accumulated on the edge of the shelf. "Let's see…wow, you've even got Maroon 5; let me borrow it sometime! Red, Neon Trees…" He paused and raised an eyebrow when he picked up one CD in particular. "…Josh Groban? No offense, but you don't seem like the type to be a fan of Italian opera-esque music."

"He's got a great voice!" Chey argued. "And Italian is a beautiful language; your name's Italian, you know!"

Donnie couldn't help but blush when she put 'your name' and 'beautiful' in the same sentence. He would never admit it out-loud, but he often found himself embarrassed to have the name Donatello. Who would name their kid that nowadays? Well, it was better than Donald; it always made him think of Donald Duck. Thoughts on his name aside, he looked back at the Josh Groban CD and smirked playfully. "You're not one of those girls who go gaga over him and wish he sang at your wedding, are you?"

"Very funny." Chey snorted. "I just happened to check a song out online and got hooked. Tell you what…why don't you borrow that one, too? At least give it a listen. Maybe you won't tease me about it then."

"No offense, but I'm not a fan." Donnie deadpanned. "I'll just borrow the Maroon 5 CD, thank you very much."

"C'mon Donnie, please? Pretty please with sugar and a delicious cherry on top?"

The pouty lip and Bambi eyes Cheyloe instantly started using on him were overdramatic enough to make the turtle want to laugh; and here he thought Anna was the overdramatic one. As much as he wanted to deny the request-or command in disguise-however, he couldn't find it in his heart to say no to that face. He found himself falling for her childish begging, but he'd scold her for it later.

"All right…but I'm going to listen to it ONE time, and that's it. Please don't use the pouty lip and Bambi eyes again…they're too powerful."

That smile of hers returned, and she gathered the CDs in question to place in Donnie's large hands. "Sweet! You won't regret it, Donnie! You'll love it!"

He certainly hoped she wasn't wrong about that.

 _Why would I even grow to like this? It's something young women go crazy over, not mutant turtles. I'll just listen to it for Cheyloe's sake, just one time, and that's it._

* * *

"Yo Donnie, pizza's here!" Michelangelo announced, peeking his head through the crack in the lab doors. When he got no answer, he called again, "Donnie? If you don't come out, I'm gonna eat all your slices right in front of you!"

Weird. It wasn't like Donnie to not respond to that threat; it always worked to get him out of that cold, dark lab of his. Where was his genius brother, anyway? Right as he turned his head to Donnie's desk, where the frozen Timothy stood, he spotted his brother and the open laptop in front of him and-wait, he had headphones on. Donnie's shell was to him, so he couldn't exactly see what his brainy brother had to be up to. Well, as the baby brother, it was his job to ask incessantly what his older brothers were doing at that moment, sometimes asking if he could join in.

The freckled turtle crept into the lab, careful not to knock over any tools or chemical waste bins and alert his brother. Once he got up close enough, he could see that the music player was open on the computer, and he could hear a muffled song emanating from Donnie's headphones. It didn't sound like the rock or hip-hop they all listened to in their free time…it sounded a lot like something they heard an orchestra play one time during patrol.

"What're you listening to, D?"

Donnie jumped in his seat and turned his head around, taking his headphones off and glaring at his brother. "Mikey, I was listening to music! What do you want?"

"Uh, I was just telling you pizza's here." The orange-masked turtle shrugged before looking at the singer and title of the song. "Josh Groban? Isn't he the dude girls go crazy over? The one who sings in Italian? Why're you listening to that?"

"Mikey, his music's actually good!" Donnie defended, putting his headphones back on at low volume. "It actually puts my mind to ease when I'm in here."

"Okay, then let me ask this…HOW did you get a CD of his, dude?"

Donnie tapped his fingers in anticipation of being laughed at, glancing away. "Uh…Cheyloe let me borrow it."

He expected Mikey to laugh. He expected him to drag Leo and Raph in here and just laugh at him until he hung his head in shame. He never made fun of Mikey's pizza obsession, or Leo's Space Heroes love, or Raph going gaga over Spike before he mutated. So what right did they have to make fun of his choice of music? Instead…

"She's got CDs?" Mikey asked excitedly. "Whoa, I gotta listen to some! How come she let you borrow a CD and not let me borrow one!?"

"Because I ASKED, Mikey?" Donnie replied as if Mikey asked a stupid question. "And yes, she has CDs. She'll probably let you borrow some if you just ask AND be careful with them, emphasis on the last part."

After a moment, Mikey offered a nod and went for the lab doors. "I'll bring your pizza in here, dude! Let me know when I can listen to some, okay?"

Once Mikey disappeared, Donnie sighed and placed his cheek in his hand as he started the CD over…for the fifth time.


	3. Hell's Kitchen

**Author's Note: I seriously need to update this one more, don't I? I've been so focused on the main story, and it's been hard to come up with drabble subjects. Anyway, this one is centered around Mikey, as he learns how to cook more meals that aren't pizza. However, he may have bit off more than he can chew when it comes to his choice of teacher...or rather, his teacher decided he would learn before he killed anybody. Anyway, read and review!**

 _ **Summary: Mikey learns a thing or two about the kitchen, only he has to deal with his own Gordon Ramsay: Kaitlyn Leisman. Takes place a few days after the Wormquake incident.**_

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Drabble 3: Hell's Kitchen

"No, don't even add that!"

"Oops, sorry! Okay, now I've gotta add one cup of flour…"

"If ya weren't actin' blind, you'd see that's a cup 'a sugar!"

Michelangelo flinched at the scratchy, commanding voice reprimanding him, making him dump the sugar back into the designated container and grab the bag of flour. When he signed up for this, he didn't imagine it would be THIS brutal; he thought it would be fun! Cooking was always supposed to be fun! How did he get in this mess, anyway?

 _3 Days Earlier…_

 _"So Kaitlyn, the lair isn't so bad, is it?" Cheyloe asked, showing her friend the sewer lair belonging to the Turtles._

 _The dirty-blonde shrugged and wore a blank look. "Looks better than it smells, I'll tell ya that. Awright, so where's the-" She suddenly stopped when a scorched smell hit her in the nose. "…'Ey, ya smell that? Somethin's on fire!"_

 _Chey bolted for the kitchen, and Kaitlyn trailed right behind her. When the two entered, armed and ready with a nearby fire extinguisher, they caught the sound of the smoke alarm finally going off and a freckled turtle coughing and hacking. Mikey pulled the pan he had on the stove off and waved the smoke away with a dish rag, still coughing. The two young women decided to peek inside the pan and found charred noodles and cuts of meat, all looking like bits of charcoal now._

 _"Well, at least **I** didn't set food on fire this time." The brunette joked, growing serious when she looked at the turtle. "Mikey, what on earth are you doing?"_

 _Finishing his coughs, Mikey stared at the pan and laughed nervously. "Oh, well, I was trying to make something new, dudettes! Since Master Splinter won't let us live off pizza alone, I had to try and fix something that would be awesome! So I tried to make this stuff called beef stroganoff. It, uh, didn't turn out so well."_

 _Cheyloe waved her hand in front of her face and stuck her tongue out at the charred food. Kaitlyn, however, kept staring at it with an unreadable gaze. That's when the dirty-blonde piped up, "…What kind 'a roux were ya usin'?"_

 _"Huh? Roux? What's that?" Mikey asked, confused. "I didn't put any of whatever that is in there."_

 _Kaitlyn immediately frowned. "What cut 'a beef did ya put in it?"_

 _"I just used whatever was in the fridge! We had some ground beef, and I dumped that in there."_

 _The frown deepened. "Probably shouldn't ask…but did ya use wine?"_

 _The freckled turtle snorted. "We don't have wine, dudette! I just swiped some of Master Splinter's sake and poured it until it looked like enough."_

 _That was all she needed to know, and it was enough to make Kaitlyn slap her forehead and sigh deeply. "Turtle…yer hopeless. Ya don't fix stroganoff wit' cheap hamburger, without roux, an' then just dump a crap-load of sake in it!" Before Cheyloe could intervene and tell her to calm down, she pinched between her brows and went on, "If yer goin' ta cook somethin' that won't kill everybody, at least follow th' recipe!"_

 _"But I was reading the recipe! I was just making due with what I got!"_

 _"But nothin'! Didn't it ever occur to ya to ask for what was missin'? It doesn't hurt to improvise, but not if it's gonna butcher the recipe! Somebody oughta teach ya not to cook somethin' that's gonna burn the house down!"_

Oh yeah, that's how.

Okay, one way or another, he was going to get this down. He could feel Kaitlyn's eyes boring holes into him, and it made it harder for him to concentrate on fixing this stupid stroganoff. He got the mushrooms cooked, although slightly singed, and the beef had small spots of charring on the tips. The onions and garlic managed to survive being turned to mush, so all he had to do was get the right amount of flour for them and cook with the wine and some tomato paste. Don't turn the heat up too high, don't turn it up to high, don't dump so much flour on the veggies…turn it to simmer, don't mess this up, don't-

"Hold it right there, Mike." Kaitlyn halted him, taking over in turning the stovetop to simmer and allow the wine and tomato paste to cook slow before sprinkling even amounts of flour on the onions and garlic. "Let's take a break."

The freckled turtle suddenly winced and stared at the floor, wanting to take his apron off and throw it on the floor in a huff; he wanted to throw his hands in the air and say 'I quit'. Unfortunately for him, the muscular woman caught onto his sudden shift in mood. She wouldn't stop staring at him, and he knew he couldn't avoid saying what bothered him. "…I'm screwing up too much, aren't I?"

"Eh, yer gettin' the hang of it. Even I messed up when I first started." Kaitlyn replied, being as cut and dry as she could. "But that ain't why we need a break. Yer hands are shakin' like crazy; can't cook a meal wit' unsteady hands, ya know?"

Mikey finally took the time to look at his hands, and just as Kaitlyn observed, they were trembling uncontrollably. Sheesh, what was wrong with him? He was always the one telling everyone to relax, chill out, go with the flow, and now he was a shaky, nervous mess like Leo and Donnie. Was he just trying too hard to cook the food like the book said? Or was he really just worried about not messing up so Kaitlyn wouldn't jump on him? She reminded him a lot of Raph, only with a worse temper and the ability to literally break him in half.

"Will this stuff be okay to leave?" Mikey asked, gesturing to the simmering pan.

"For twelve minutes? Yeah, it'll survive. In th' meantime, I'm gonna fix somethin' ta calm yer nerves."

The orange-masked turtle watched Kaitlyn carefully, and wondered exactly what kind of treat would calm his nerves. Well, considering what Donnie said was in the fridge… "No offense, but I'm not old enough to drink beer."

"I ain't givin' ya beer!" The dirty-blonde snorted. "Ya can't mix beer wit' ice cream! Nah, I got th' tame stuff…root beer."

That's when he saw what she had out…two bottles of root beer, and vanilla ice cream. He heard about these things; people would take ice cream and pour root beer or orange soda on top of it, and you could both drink it and eat it. "Root beer floats? I've never had one of those before!"

"That's a good thing." Kaitlyn smirked and got out two glasses, piling scoops of ice cream into both before drowning them in root beer. "Yer gonna think mine are th' best in this city." She shoved straws in both glasses before sliding one to Mikey. "Drink up, Turtle!"

Michelangelo stared at the treat curiously, but finally convinced himself to take a sip of the root beer float. Sweet, creamy, bitter, fizzy…all of them came together on his tongue and had him smiling. "This is really good! I can make these for me and my bros EASY!"

Kaitlyn kept her smirk as she checked on the simmering ingredients, beckoning Mikey over to finish his lesson after letting him enjoy his float. "Just make sure ya get th' right root beer an' ice cream; don't settle for anything ultra-cheap. Now, put th' cooked stuff in 'ere an' make sure it's hot."

Mikey obeyed and stirred the beef, vegetables, and roux together until all were equally hot. Acting swiftly, he pulled the pan off the burner and gave it a few minutes to cool before fetching the much-needed sour cream. At first, he wanted to dump the whole thing on it and get this over with, but remembered to stir in only what was needed and make sure it wouldn't separate under the heat. On reserve was a pan of still-warm buttered noodles, so, with a nod from Kaitlyn, he mixed the ingredients together and put it on a waiting plate.

"Okay, it's done! Let's try it!"

Before the freckled turtle could even grab a fork, Kaitlyn beat him to it and took a bite of his beef stroganoff. She chewed on it, clicked her tongue a few times to judge the flavor, and finally swallowed what she at. "Not bad…it ain't great, but not bad." When the turtle suddenly looked crestfallen, she had to emphasize what she meant. "Don't expect it ta be great th' first time; we all gotta start from th' bottom up. Takes practice, Mike."

"So…I'm definitely gonna improve?" Mikey asked, hope in his tone.

"Well, yeah, long as ya work hard an' know what yer doin'. Ya think I always got it perfect in th' beginning? No. All I was good at was fixin' chicken nuggets an' French fries." Kaitlyn chuckled.

Absentmindedly chewing on the stroganoff, Mikey made himself not laugh, lest he choke. "I just wish my bros had the same attitude. They always kinda act like I just mess up and ruin everything."

"That so? Well, it's bad if they treat ya like that for no reason."

Mikey averted his eyes. "Well…I kind of push their buttons a lot, and sometimes I try to make them mad on purpose just to get a reaction. Then, when they do say something about it...I kind of take it too personal, even though I think it's funny when I pick on them. I don't try to be mean about it, but…I guess I bring some of it on myself. No wonder they don't trust me with a lot of stuff, especially Donnie. He and I were always so tight, but then…"

"But then he met Cheyloe, right?" Kaitlyn deduced. Once she had Mikey's attention, which told her she was correct, she went on, "Look Mikey, if they don't appreciate ya a whole lot, an' let me pretend ta be Cheyloe jus' this once…talk to 'em about it, tell 'em how ya feel. Jus' don't be eggin' 'em on when ya know they don't like it. As for Cheyloe…don't be jealous of 'er. She ain't a threat ta you an' Donnie's, uh, bro-ness. Truthfully…it's Cheyloe who needs Donnie a lot more than he needs her."

Mikey tilted his head. "Whaddya mean? Well, if it's not my business, I won't ask. So…" He tapped his fingers together and questioned, "Same time next week?"

Kaitlyn offered a grin; that was definitely a yes. "Hope yer ready ta learn about minestrone!"

* * *

 **So how was that? I'll confess, a lot of Mikey-centric stuff I've seen always makes him act like he's never at fault whenever he does something bad. Here, Mikey owns up to egging on his brothers when he knows he shouldn't, and we see a softer side of Kaitlyn. So, Mikey's confessed he's a little jealous of Cheyloe because she takes up a lot of Donnie's time, but Kaitlyn's revelation should be pretty obvious, if you've been following the main story. Stay tuned for even more drabbles, and request some you'd like to see!**


	4. Bad Day

**Author's Note: Who's in the mood for a fluffy drabble? I know I am! I've been writing so much drama and angst that some fluff is in order! Don't worry, I'll be including some fluff in the next chapter of my main story! Until then, enjoy this!**

 **This drabble takes place while Donnie is recovering in Cheyloe's apartment, and the second half gives a little twist. Requested by SupernovaWolf.**

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Drabble 4: Bad Day

 _CRASH_

Donatello ignored the throbbing in his arm and groaned, staring at the fresh pile of broken glass on the floor in front of the cabinet. This wasn't the first thing to go wrong today, no, this was just the icing on the cake of bad luck. First he got orange juice in his still-healing eye, then he bumped his sprained arm in the doorway and hunched over in pain for five minutes, burned his hands when he heated lunch too long, and now this. If this were at home, he'd brush it off and go on. But this wasn't his home…this was Cheyloe's home, and he broke one of her glasses. Great, she was going to be SO mad; he just knew it! Well, maybe she would go easy on him, because he had the urge to just start crying.

"Donatello?"

Donnie gulped and turned to see Cheyloe emerging from the bathroom. She'd just gotten home from work and excused herself when he got the bright idea to use his bad arm to get a glass. Now he proved himself to be a clumsy guest in her apartment. Was she mad? Was she disgusted? Was she-

"Don't step in that!" She commanded briskly, running for the corner of the kitchen. "Let me get the broom and clean that up!"

He lifted himself away from the glass pile and watched her quickly sweep it up. He secretly joined her in looking for miniscule shards that could be easily missed with an untrained eye. Fortunately for him, all the shards were safely in the dust pan and dumped into the garbage can. While the brunette put the cleaning supplies away, the genius turtle quietly sulked over to the sofa and stewed in his growing shame. However, because he was a guest to a nurse, he couldn't escape her gift of observation.

"Donnie, what's wrong?" Chey asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down. "You look so down…are you hurting again?"

The turtle didn't say anything right away, favoring to glare at his sprained arm. "I wouldn't have dropped that glass if it wasn't for my stupid arm! Everything was fine right as I grasped it, and then my arm seized up and…well, you know the rest…"

"Donnie, don't be like that." The brunette reprimanded. "You're still healing, and you don't need to overexert your arm. I could've gotten it down if you'd just asked."

"Yeah, and I can't even do that!" Donnie griped. He pouted for a few seconds, and then it registered how much he raised his voice to the young woman in question, making him sigh in defeat and lower his head again. "I'm sorry…I get irritable when I'm in pain and things don't go right. After you left, I got orange juice in my eye, hit my arm in the doorway, and burned my hands…"

Cheyloe didn't say anything, much to his shock. Did he make her mad? Mentally and verbally berating himself, he didn't notice the brunette pulling out her phone and typing something on it. She pressed the play button on a music app right as Donnie started mumbling out apologies, and the melody that came out made him stop mid-sentence.

 _"'_ _Cause you had a bad day. You're taking one down. You sing a sad song just to turn it around…"_

Donnie stared surprised at Cheyloe and the phone playing the catchy song. Once a few more lyrics sounded out, the hurt and downtrodden turtle couldn't help but give a gap-toothed smile, both at Chey's effort to cheer him up and the catchy-yet-corny song. He didn't want to smile, but he couldn't overpower the urge to. Needless to say, she had weird ways of trying to cheer people up; almost reminded him of Mikey. Just thinking about Mikey almost made his smile falter, but he wouldn't let that happen, not in front of his gracious host.

"Of all the songs you could pick, it had to be that one?" Donnie asked, stifling a chuckle.

The brunette just shrugged, giving a smirk in response. "It fits. At least I turned that frown upside-down! Mission accomplished!"

Donnie just shook his head. "You are a weird person, Cheyloe…but I kinda like that."

That reply just made Cheyloe's smirk morph into a smile. "You know what'll make the day much better? Let's just order pizza and binge on some junk food until we pass out. How does that sound?"

"No offense, but you're a nurse." The genius turtle deadpanned. "Aren't you supposed to be repelled by unhealthy food and preach on eating vegetables and stuff?"

"You got me. I am supposed to advocate for eating healthy…" She suddenly leaned closer to him and spoke in a whisper, "But even a nurse can cheat every once in a while."

His mood lifted even more, and he found himself laughing at the thought. Despite missing his brothers right now, he wouldn't get this much cheering up from them like Cheyloe gave. If anything, they'd probably just laugh at him dropping the glass and then berate him for dropping it. They'd probably even tell him to 'quit whining and clean up the mess'. So hearing her tell him not to worry about it was a big change…something he'd be eager to hear from now on.

"And Donnie? You're more important than a stupid glass."

Donnie instantly smiled wider, wiping away a stray tear with his good hand. "…Thank you, Cheyloe…"

Needless to say, he knew he was going to like Cheyloe Doggett.

 _"_ _You had a bad day…you had a bad day."_

* * *

Donatello leapt from rooftop to rooftop, carrying precious cargo on his lone-turtle patrol. Knowing the others, they were at home playing another round of Mazes and Mutants or watching some SRMFF. With all the excitement of Mr. O'Neil being cured dying down, they could go on to focusing on other things like stopping the Kraang and convincing Karai of her origins. Tonight, though, he had something else on his mind. He stopped on the balcony of a familiar apartment and knocked on the door. Waiting a few seconds, he found the person he wanted coming to the glass door and unlocking it.

"Good evening, milady!" Donnie greeted with a mock bow.

Cheyloe chuckled and leaned against the doorframe. "And good evening to you, too, Donnie. What brings you around?"

"Oh, just a late night, one-man patrol. You were on the way, so I figured I'd drop by and say hello." Donnie looked around and whistled playfully, his arms crossed behind his shell. "Plus, oh, I don't know, I may have a little something for you."

The brunette widened her eyes slightly. "Oh, a special delivery for me? Is it a plate full of pizza gyoza?"

The purple-masked turtle chuckled and glanced away. "No, no, that's for another time. You're certainly getting spoiled on pizza gyoza, little lady. No, I've got something else up my sleeve."

Cheyloe watched as Donatello pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a small box. With a nod from the turtle, she took the box and opened it, revealing none-other than…a glass just like the one he broke on accident months ago. Cheyloe blinked in surprise and studied the object; why would Donnie give her this?

"Donnie…that glass broke months ago." Chey spoke, still staring at the heart-print pattern on the glass. "You didn't have to go through so much trouble to get a new one…"

Donnie shook his head as he smiled. "I know…but I wanted to. I know it's been months ago since I broke the last one and this isn't much, but take it as a thank-you present. You know…for letting me recover at your place." He suddenly scratched the back of his neck nervously as he added, "…And maybe even an apology."

"Huh?" Chey hummed. "Apology for what? Breaking the first one? Donnie, I'm not-"

"And…for not shutting up about April kissing me after curing her dad. I'm pretty sure it got on your nerves…"

Despite wanting to argue for him not to worry, Cheyloe smiled and giggled. "Hey, no worries about that. You were over the moon…and if you're happy, then what should I complain about?" Sitting the glass on the counter nearby, she leaned forward and gave Donnie a hug. "Thank you, Donnie…I'll cherish it!"

The two chatted for another moment before having to part ways; Donnie needing to go back to patrol and Cheyloe needing to get ready for bed. When the door closed, the turtle found himself staring back at the glass separating him and the brunette with a sigh and a small blush. True, he didn't need to get her a new one, but he wanted to give her something, no matter how small. Good thing he knew his way around online shopping.

He went back to patrol, the hug fresh in his mind and the cheek kiss from April fading from memory.

* * *

 **Are you getting some early hints that Donnie's starting to crush on Chey during this time? If you haven't, here's some evidence! Next drabble will probably be a journal entry, this time from our red-masked hothead! Once again, you can also request drabbles for me to do! Well, see you next time!**


	5. Journal Entry: Raphael

**Author's Note: Yay, another drabble! All right, this one is up at the farmhouse, and it gets angsty. Now in Chapter 21 or 22, I gave a hint that Donnie fought with Raph and Casey before his big fight with April, so I thought I'd write how it went down between him and Raph as a deleted scene. I hope I don't have them out-of-character, but understand that Donnie's behavior is a result of a lot of the crap that's happened. He gets better. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Drabble 5: Journal Entry: Raphael

 _Dear Journal or Whatever,_

 _Why am I even writing in this thing? Oh yeah, Sensei says we need to keep journals to 'keep track of our growth both as ninjas and young men'. Psh, I don't need a journal for that; that's Leo's thing, not mine. But…after what happened, I'm not gonna disrespect somethin' Splinter wanted us to do, so here goes…_

 _Eh, I guess the only thing I can write about is how things are goin' south around here. What started it? Karai getting mutated by Shred-Head. Yeah, Splinter's daughter or not, I never did like her and still don't…but even she didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to be turned into a huge snake, but, to be fair, she wouldn't have gotten herself captured if she'd stayed home with us. And don't get me started on her spittin' acid in my eyes. Thankfully, Donnie made sure I didn't go blind…right now, Donnie's a whole different issue._

 _It's been gettin' worse after that. That invasion happened…and now we're without Splinter. Leo's hurt pretty bad, too. We've got 'im up in the bathtub here at April's farmhouse, but he hasn't woken up…hasn't even moved a muscle. With him down, I'm apparently taking the mantle of leader. Actually, after my grand performance with Snakeweed, Donnie would be the better candidate, but…he outright refused. In fact, he hasn't spoken about it at all since we came here. He's shut himself up in the barn, working on some kind of medicine for Leo…hardly speaks to us anymore._

 _Mikey told me about the fight he and Leo had. Leo told 'im not to use that Turtle Mech thing; he wanted to find a second base. Both were tryin' to be right, but they both ended up bein' wrong. That Turtle Mech turned out to be an incomplete piece of junk, and we wouldn't have time to find a second base until now. Even so…I can tell Don blames himself. I'm supposed to be leading the team now, and all I've been doing besides training is watchin' over Leo, having the faintest hope he'll wake up. Is he gonna wake up? I dunno…I hope he does._

 _I gotta talk to Donnie. I gotta make 'im stop destroying himself._

Raphael closed his journal, which was nothing but a worn red notebook, and exited his room for the barn. He knew Donnie would be in there…the miserable, self-loathing, hair-trigger-tempered Donnie that replaced his normally-soft-spoken and considerate brother. Ever since they came up to this farmhouse, Donnie shut himself up and hardly spoke to them; he wouldn't even speak to April. The only times he ever came out were to use the bathroom of if they had to literally drag him out for mealtimes. Of course, he hadn't been paying attention because of his obsessive need to keep vigil over the comatose Leonardo. Mikey distracted himself with chickens, April kept her nose in her own journal, and Casey wanted to work on some old truck in the barn.

The temperamental turtle opened the barn door and, sure enough, found Donnie hunched over that desk surrounded with chemicals. Papers scrawled with notes scattered around the desk and surrounding floor, and Donnie paid no heed to his entry into the barn. Raph figured this, of course, and loudly cleared his throat, prompting his brother to finally turn around.

"Raph?" The genius turtle asked, putting down a test tube. "I'm a little busy here, so training can wait."

"I'm not 'ere about training." Raph stated matter-of-factly. "We need to talk about you holin' yourself up in th' barn nonstop." Donnie opened his mouth to protest, but his red-masked brother cut him off. "Since we came 'ere, you haven't been training, you've stayed in 'ere the whole time, you haven't been eating, and Mikey's implied to me that you've been sneakin' cigarettes."

Donnie's mouth gaped open, but he quickly attempted to defend himself. "Mikey's lying. You know he likes to make up stories for our undivided attention."

"Mikey wouldn't lie about somethin' like that!" Raph countered heatedly. "Donnie, we're ALL hurtin' from the invasion, believe me! But you're not dealin' with it th' right way! Do ya really want Leo wakin' up knowin' one of 'is brothers is slowly killin' himself?"

The genius turtle only snorted. "If Leo even wakes up…"

Raph gritted his teeth at the emotionless statement from his brother. He recognized this, however. Whenever Donnie felt really upset by something he couldn't fix, be it something physical or emotional, he would lash out…and when he lashed out, he knew to hit someone where it hurt most. When Raph himself got mad, he'd hurt someone with his fists, as he often did in his petty fights with Leo. Donnie, however, hurt with his words. "Donnie, don't be like that. You know Leo's gonna wake up; ya wouldn't be workin' so hard on that medicine if you thought he wouldn't!"

To his surprise, the purple-masked turtle nonchalantly rested his head in his hand and stared at him with dead eyes. "Funny you're the one so eager for Leo to wake up. Weren't you the one always fighting with him over how YOU should've been leader? That just means you've got your wish at last, right? Leo's down for the count, so you get the title. Congratulations, Raphael!" Donnie gave a mock clap, until he feigned surprise and put a hand to his chin. "But hold on…when you actually played the leader game, Mikey got thrown against the wall and fell unconscious while you froze up, right?"

"Donnie, stand down." Raph ground out, fists tightening in poorly-suppressed anger. "I'm not gonna play yer mind games-"

"I was the one who had to pick up your slack until Leo came back, you know. I had to give directions while you just sat there desperate for an answer. I had the perfect strategy, and Leo would've had a better strategy, too! What do you do instead? Oh, you just chase him off with your idiotic pride and then tell us to keep going for Snakeweed's head. How'd that turn out, Raphie-boy, huh?" Donnie chuckled darkly and went back to his attempt at mutagen medicine. "You're not cut out to be a leader. A leader doesn't sit by a bathtub all day hoping his brother'll magically wake up."

That was the last straw. Raph didn't like this 'new' Donnie occupying their lives; the Donnie he knew wouldn't maliciously cut him down after a lecture. Deep down, the red-masked turtle knew this was his brother lashing out from all the guilt he carried, and he wanted to hug him and punch him at the same time. However, his temper started flaring, and he found himself desperate to get his brother back to his senses. Thus, he decided to try a classic methodology: fighting fire with fire.

"Is that right?" Raph asked, shoulders hunched up and lips curled into a sneer. "So ya think you'd do any better, Donnie? Cuz lately, yer track record hasn't been spotless, either."

Donnie narrowed his eyes. "So you're calling me a hypocrite? Please…"

"Oh, I'm not done, Donnie. Let's see here…ya ditch us more than once over some girl, most of yer inventions nearly killed us, and yer so stubborn you had to argue with Leo before the Kraang invaded! Not to mention ya also stall missions to cock fight with my best friend over said girl and expect us to back you up!"

"I do not!" The genius turtle snarled.

Raph ignored his brother and kept it going. "Let me also bring up that ya haven't even cured that doofus Timothy yet! In fact, you just up and abandoned him back at the lair! The poor sap's probably shattered to pieces about now, no thanks to you! Now, ya wanna give up on our brother just so you can mope around an' be mad at the world an' leave the rest of us to worry about the both of you! Y'know what, Don? You have to be the most selfish person in the world!"

The next thing Raph knew, Donnie's fist came into his line of vision and made impact with his cheek, knocking him backwards into the barn wall. The boards creaked behind him, and he immediately put his hand to his throbbing cheek. That was when Raph took notice of the strength his brother exuded…strength that was totally abnormal for the normally-gentle Donatello. Then there was the look in his eyes…it bordered on absolute hatred. This wasn't his brother.

"Get out." Donnie spoke calmly before his mood shifted and he wildly pointed at the barn door. "Get out you…you jackass!"

The red-masked turtle spat and glared back; he'd never be used to such a word coming out of Donnie's mouth. "The only one here bein' a jackass is YOU, Donatello! Do us all a favor an' get yer act together!"

Raphael stormed out of the barn and got several feet away before making it to the back of the house. When he saw no one there, he found himself sitting on the steps of the back porch and holding his head in his hands, quiet sobs coming out of his throat. He didn't know what else to do; everybody was falling apart and he couldn't even put them back together for a minute.

 _Donnie's right…I'm not cut out to be a leader._

* * *

 _Several weeks later_

"Raph? You got a minute?"

Raphael turned his head and saw Donatello at the bathroom door. He gave the comatose Leonardo a quick glance before replying, "Sure…come on in."

Donnie quietly walked in and stared uncomfortably at Leo, who remained still as ever. Neither of them said anything for a solid minute, until Raph decided to break the ice. "So…everything totally cool between you an' April?"

"Yeah, yeah…" The genius turtle nodded, leaning against the sink and clearing his throat. "We talked last night, and everything's cool. I can't believe how bad I was towards her, and she was just looking out for my well-being."

"Mm." Raph hummed, giving a solemn nod and keeping his eyes glued on Leo.

Another moment of silence, and he finally heard Donnie add, "…And I can't believe how bad I was towards you."

The red-masked turtle turned his head in curiosity, until the memory came back to him. _He's talking about our fight in the barn._ Truthfully, he forgot all about that fight because of the mess going on between Donnie and April. Donnie fought with him, and he fought with Casey, but he never expected him to fight with April, of all people; April actually went and slapped him. The only thing that actually made them go back to speaking terms was Mikey chewing them both out…or rather, he chewed April out for slapping Donnie, and gave Donnie the silent treatment. After Donnie got a bunch of things off his chest, including having watched Cheyloe die, he seemed remorseful of his previous actions.

"Donnie, don't worry about it." Raph waved him off. "It's no big deal."

"It IS a big deal, Raph." Donnie insisted, looking shocked. "I said horrible things to you. I said all those things because I wanted you to hurt as much as I did! I wanted to just wallow in my own self-pity, I lashed out when you guys just wanted me to function!"

Raph frowned and stared at the tile floor beneath them, breathing out a deep sigh. "Y'know…for a while, I believed you when you said I wasn't cut out to lead. The Snakeweed incident wasn't my best moment, an' since we came here, I've tried so hard to keep us together…an' all we've been doin' is falling apart."

"…But that doesn't mean you can't lead us." Donnie pleaded, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Raph…I-I'm so sorry…I never want to say anything like that towards you again. Just please forgive me, and…"

"It's water under th' bridge, Donnie." Raph replied as he turned to face his brother. "With that said…I should give my apologies, too. The stuff I said…I just thought playin' your game would make ya snap out of it…but like I said, just made it worse. Ya went after April all those times because we had a better chance of surviving…ya fight with Casey cuz yer just trying ta protect her…and I know you'd never give up on helping Leo."

"R-Raph…" Donnie choked out and smiled weakly.

The temperamental turtle suddenly got up and wrapped his arm around his genius brother's shoulders, grunting, "Stop that, Donnie…don't make us both start."

They were a long way from better, but this was a start. They wouldn't be totally better until Leo woke up, they took back New York, and find their father. Until then…this would have to do.

* * *

 **Enough angst for you? I might do his fight with Casey next, then make a drabble of Raph starting to think more and more about April after Donnie declaring the end of his pursuit of her. Just to shed some insight on what Raph actually thinks of her. Do stay tuned!**


	6. Petty

**Author's Note: Since I did the fight between Donnie and Raph last time, here's the fight between Donnie and Casey. Just a little bit of it will involve April, but I'll say Casey's more willing to lay into Donnie over his recent behavior more than Raph will. Donnie's not his brother, after all...not by blood, anyway. Well, be sure to read and review!**

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Drabble 6: Petty

One thing about Casey Jones was the he wasn't a man of patience. There were a lot of things that made him impatient, and one of those things was Donatello and his 'oh woe is me' attitude as of late. Yeah, it sucked that they had to run from New York to April's farmhouse and Leo was lying unconscious in a bathtub, but why did Gap-Tooth act like HE was the victim?

Normally, he'd leave Donnie alone and let him deal with his emotional crap on his own. If Raph was dealing with something ultra-intense, he'd leave him alone to cool off and sort things out unless it became necessary for him to intervene. Despite everything that happened, everybody but Donnie seemed to be adjusting just fine. Even Mikey still kept up that cheer, even when it got on his nerves most of the time. However, what happened yesterday told Casey he needed to stick his nose where it didn't belong because he saw his best friend walking out of the barn with a swollen cheek.

It was only a few seconds later that he heard Raph sobbing his heart out.

Whatever happened between him and Donnie in the barn had to be bad enough for Raph to cry. As much as Casey didn't like getting into emotional stuff, he hated seeing his best friend cry. It didn't matter that they were brothers; Donnie had no reason to hurt his brother like that. What they exchanged, he didn't know, but he would get to the bottom of it. He needed to work on that old truck, anyway, whether Donnie liked it or not. Everybody let the dork have his way for too long…

Grabbing a toolbox from the porch, the hockey player sauntered over to the barn and jerked the door open. The noise alone made Donnie jump out of his chair and something fell from his mouth. Casey happened to glance over and see what the object was, making his eyes widen considerably. What was Donnie doing with THAT in his mouth?

"Casey, you idiot! Don't jerk the door open like that!" The genius turtle chastised harshly.

Ignoring the turtle's outburst, Casey walked over and plucked the still-burning object from the desk before it burned a hole in the wood. "Donnie, where'd you get cigs, man!?" He asked, holding the cigarette in front of Donnie's face. "What're you doin' smoking, anyway!? Aren't ya afraid of stuff like, I dunno, lung cancer!?"

"Give me that!" Donnie snatched the cigarette away and took a long, final drag from it before harshly crushing it out on the wall. He callously flicked the butt away and turned back to Casey with a less-than-pleased expression, "Why is it any of your business what I do in here? Or should I tell April about the time I saw you with chewing tobacco on the hockey rink?"

How did he know about that ONE time? Pushing the threat aside, Casey decided now was the time to get to the real matter. "Forget all that, Donnie. I'd like ya to tell me what ya said to Raph to make 'im cry. Or how he's got a cheek the size of a grapefruit, huh?"

Donnie snorted indifferently. "Why does it matter to you? Are you his boyfriend now or something?"

"That ain't funny, Donnie." Casey growled. "Raph's my best friend, and I got a right to know what ya said an' did to 'im. I don't care if yer 'is brother, I'm not lettin' ya off easy."

"What're you going to do about it, Jones?" The genius turtle asked dangerously, pushing his tools aside and turning around. "Raph just doesn't know how to handle the truth that he's a lousy leader, yet he parades around like he's king of the castle, telling us what to do when he won't even leave the bathroom. How's that a leader, huh?"

Casey crossed his arms and leaned against the barn wall. "That's kinda hypocritical of ya, Donnie. Yeah, I know what th' word means. Takin' Raph's list when yer in 'ere mopin' an' thinkin' YOU'RE th' victim. Everybody's been gettin' along fine 'cept YOU."

Donnie's eyes narrowed at the accusation. He was getting along just as well as they were, only he did it in his own way. Why couldn't he just cope with everything his own way? They never say anything about Raph moping like a little kid over Leo, so why should they say anything about him? Casey really got on his nerves, even more so up at this godforsaken farmhouse, and now he had the gall to tell him HE was in the wrong? Well, if that's how he wanted to play…

"So what, you just pretend everything's normal and act like the invasion never happened?" Donnie asked, eye twitching from both stress and a fresh dose of nicotine. "You act like Leo's not in a bathtub, possibly not able to wake up ever again, because you want to deny what happened, right? Then, oh wait, you also want to be in denial that April hasn't wanted anything to do with you since we got up here, too."

Casey tensed up at the mention of the redheaded girl. "What're ya talkin' about?"

The turtle chuckled bitterly, shaking his head in disgust. "That bad boy persona's losing its charm, Jones. She's been in a sad little state, writing in her journal every day and pretending she's not blaming herself for bringing that Kraang to the lair, and yet your only concern is how you can get your hand inside her pants. That's how it's been since day one, Jones! And you know what? She's played us both for fools because she won't tell us what the hell she wants! Get it through that thick skull of yours that we're DIRT to her!"

"Shut up!" The hockey player roared, slamming his fist on the desk in a rage. "Say whatever ya want about me, but don't talk about April like that! She's done all she can for us, and ya don't even care 'cause yer too busy feeling sorry for yerself! No wonder she ain't gonna choose a jerk like you!"

Donnie suddenly tensed up himself, eyes opening wide. "…Take that back."

"No, I'm not gonna take it back!" Casey shot back, getting in the turtle's face. "April doesn't deserve a guy who's gonna blame everybody but 'imself for all 'is problems, an' yell at an' punch everybody trying ta help 'im! I may be rough around th' edges, but I'm not gonna treat 'er like she's a tease!" He ruffled his hair and failed to notice the growing rage in Donnie's eyes, "None of us don't deserve yer crap! Not Raph, not April, not me or Mikey! I'm not gonna make excuses for ya like Mikey always does and Chey did-"

The moment he uttered the brunette's name, he saw Donatello grab a screwdriver and take a swing at him. His hand went to the fresh, bleeding cut on his face, but before he could register it, he had to run when a barrage of tools came flying at him. Donnie screamed as he threw each one, and he didn't even stop right as Casey ran out of the barn and into the safety of the house. He didn't notice April watching him with saddened eyes from the swinging bench.

He also took notice of what looked like a gun hidden under papers on the desk…

* * *

When Casey went down the hall to go use the john, he didn't expect to find Donatello still awake. He knew everyone else was asleep because closed doors equaled do not disturb, and Donnie had his door cracked open. That didn't catch his attention the most. What DID catch his attention was the turtle staring forlornly at his T-Phone. Rubbing the scar from the screwdriver attack, the hockey player walked up to the door and lightly knocked on it. Donnie abruptly turned around and tried to hide his T-Phone in his belt, but Casey already took notice.

"Whatcha doin' up at this hour lookin' at yer phone, Donnie?"

The turtle tried his best to hide his discomfort, but failed miserably. He opted instead to sigh and hug his knees to his plastron. "It's nothing important, really. I should be asking you what YOU'RE doing up; it's one in the morning."

Casey snickered lightly. "Yer the guy who doesn't sleep for three days straight, and yer tellin' ME I should be in bed? C'mon, Donnie, you can do better than that, man."

With a sigh of resignation, Donnie laid his T-Phone out for the hockey player to see. He took it from the turtle and immediately realized why Donnie looked so downtrodden: it was a selfie of Donnie alongside Cheyloe. Casey's grin melted away in less than three seconds. After Donnie had that nasty fight with April, Mikey filled him and Raph in on the details he overheard, one of them being that Gap-Tooth witnessed Chey fall into the sewers, presumably to her death. The two made up after two weeks, and he could still remember all of them just sitting in a pile and crying over everything…that was yesterday. Now, Casey could tell Donnie felt remorse for all the venomous words he spewed out of self-hatred.

"…I miss her, Casey." Donnie sniffled, the back of his hand to his snout. "I miss her, Master Splinter, and Leo…"

"Leo ain't dead, Donnie. We don't know when he's gonna wake up, but he ain't dead. Quit talkin' like he is." Casey scolded lightly, awkwardly patting the turtle on his shoulder. "Listen, Donnie…I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, an' we kinda act like we hate each other, but…if there's one thing I know, April needs someone like you. She's got a temper, but you've been able ta handle it."

Donnie didn't smile over the comment. "No…you were right, Casey. April doesn't deserve a guy who gets mad at the world and cuts the people who love him down with his words. I just want to apologize for all the horrible things I said to you, Jones. I know you really care about April; you don't see her as a means to, well, you know. And you acting like everything was 'awesome' was just to hide your hurt, wasn't it?"

Casey found himself absentmindedly wiping at his nose as his chest suddenly grew heavy. "Like I said, Donnie…we all got our own way of dealin' with things. You were just tryin' ta deal in th' wrong way, but I think ya know that now."

Donnie nodded solemnly, giving a small smile, before lightly punching the human in his shoulder. "How about we make a deal? From now on…why don't we stop the petty arguing over April? We smother her enough as it is. Let's give her a long break so she can breathe…"

"I dunno…you've been doin' a better job at that than me, Donnie." Casey smirked. "Maybe helpin' 'er out in th' kitchen tomorrow'll help 'er smile, ya know?"

As much as he wanted to, Casey didn't bring up the matter of the gun he saw. He trusted Donnie enough not to use it on himself or anyone else. The guy had a short temper, almost as much as Raph, April, and himself, but killing himself or anyone else wasn't in Donnie's nature. He also knew that Donnie wasn't as petty as he wanted to think of himself as, because if he said stupid things, his remorse for it was always genuine. He didn't make exceptions for anyone, not even Casey Jones.

No matter who April decided to choose, Casey would have Donatello's back, and vice-versa. That's what family did.

"Hey Donnie, ya did throw away those cigarettes, right?" Casey asked. "Th' last thing I want is one of my buddies gettin' lung cancer in th' future."

To his surprise, Donnie gave a small chuckle. "Well, why do you think I put nicotine patches on the grocery list? I flushed those things down the toilet this morning, and I gotta battle the cravings for a while."

"That was you doin' all that flushing? I thought ya had th' green-apple splatters!"

That earned another punch in Casey's shoulder, only a little harder this time.

* * *

 **What'd you think? It's good that these two are on good terms once again, right? Okay, the next chapter will probably be either Donnie testing out some of Chey's superhuman abilities, or Chey telling the story of how she met the Mighty Mutanimals. What do you guys think? Let me know which one you'd like to see first!**


	7. Seeking Friends

**Author's Note: Finally, I have this one done! I got stuck on it for a while because I didn't know how to move it along, and it's not often I write the Mutanimals. Anyway, this takes place after the invasion, while the Turtles are up in Northampton, and Cheyloe wakes up in the sewers to find out who rescued her. In short, this is when Cheyloe meets the Mutanimals one-by-one. Read and review!**

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Drabble 7: Seeking Friends

Bluish-green eyes opened slowly to find dark, grime-covered walls and puddles of water everywhere. The smell suddenly hit her, and her nose curled at the smell of raw sewage. Another smell hit her that she didn't recognize. The stench of sweat soaked into cloth hit her in the face, and she turned her head to look around; raising her head would just make the throbbing worse. Then it hit her: her stomach burned and her muscles jerked in response to the pain.

"K…Ka…" She garbled out, staring glassy-eyed at the stone floor underneath her bruised cheek. "…rai…Spli…"

Cheyloe fought to get the right words out, but found her throat not working the way she wanted it to. The cool air here made her burning body break out into shivers, making her know immediately she had a fever. If she had open cuts on her body, exposure to filthy water would give her who-knows-what and put her down for days. The memories slowly came back after trying to recite the names. She had to leave Splinter's body behind and chase after the feral Karai, then she came face-to-face with those aliens for the first time. She fought back, she saved Karai, she got knocked down…and then something came before she blacked out. Question was, what…or who?

"Don't talk." A gravelly voice commanded, and that's when the brunette heard footsteps approaching. She stayed quiet when something like a large hand turned her back-down and felt of her forehead. "You're really sick. That blast and all this nasty water're doin' a number on ya."

Now forced to look up, Chey regained enough lucidity to see who addressed her. Whoever, or whatever, this was, they looked like a large, blue-green turtle with a black mask and a spiky shell. Wait, where did she see this before? Her mind instantly shifted back to the one night everything changed. The night she went to the rooftops to get air, happening to look over to a neighboring building and seeing Donatello for the first time being strangled. The large hand of the creature before her, just looking at it made her tense up.

"…Y-You…"

The creature gave her a funny look. "What's wrong? Never seen a mutant before?"

Cheyloe suddenly gave a low growl, shakily getting to her hands and feet as her hand frantically went for her damp pocket. "…Y-You!" Once she fished out the pocket knife and unleashed the blade, she got to her feet and, in her fever daze, started swinging the object at the large mutant. "Y-You…you tried to…kill Donnie!"

What was this woman talking about? Once the name 'Donnie' came out in the open, it clicked. That night, when he wanted to enact Raphael's anger-tainted wishes for his brothers gone, the one he targeted first was Donatello. He started choking the life out of the string-bean, but he heard his brothers looking for him and left to erase suspicions. When he came back after grabbing Michelangelo, Donatello was gone. So did this lady have something to do with it? Since he no longer had a desire to kill Raphael's brothers, he knew it was time to make it clear to this woman: Slash, formerly known as Spike, wasn't a danger to anyone anymore.

"Wait, stop!" The behemoth turtle begged, barely having to dodge the weak woman's attacks. "I-I wasn't in my right mind back then! Stop, you're gonna hurt yourself!"

Chey didn't listen, too caught up in her rage and fever daze. "Y-You choked him…tried to kill him! Saved him…f-from you…"

It didn't take long before the switchblade fell from her already-feeble grasp, and the brunette collapsed onto her hands and knees as she retched pitifully. Slash only stared at the sick superhuman in resignation, picking her up without much of a fight and getting her to the hideout he found in a deeper sewer tunnel.

"You need sleep, lady. I don't know what you have, but I'll find you somethin' that'll bring your fever down…"

She was already out of it before she could argue against him.

* * *

About three days later, Cheyloe sat on an old pipe, pouting and hunched over but no longer suffering from a bad fever. Slash wasn't a doctor, however, and the most he could do was give her a less-than-optimal patch-job and give her Tylenol. If she didn't get an infection from sewer water, it was letting the blast wound from the Kraang fester. Judging from the time-period, it probably came from her injured leg; the fall from the building did a number on her. Even with her health, her first thought was always the same since this invasion: did Donnie and his brothers make it out okay?

"I'm sorry I couldn't do better. I never observed Raphael or Donatello do any first-aid. I know enough, though, that you'll be weak for a while." Slash apologized, sitting on a sturdier pipe across from her and looking down at the space-heater he found to warm them. "Look, you have to believe me when I say I wasn't in my right mind that night. I don't have a desire to hurt Donatello or anyone else close to him."

Chey glanced up from the floor and asked simply, "Then why did you attack him?" She let out a wet cough and went on, "Why did you try to kill him?"

The behemoth turtle sighed and ran his large hand over his spiked head. "Saying the mutagen made me do it would be a bad excuse. I just thought I was doing what Raphael wanted." He noticed the brunette's eyes widening in shock, and he knew he couldn't let Raph be a target for any fever-induced wrath from her. "R-Raphael confided in me a lot before I mutated…I used to be his pet. He always told me that his brothers held him back, that he didn't need them cramping his style, heck, he was about this far away from saying he hated them."

Slash sighed again and stared forlornly at the brunette, anguished at the thoughts of his missing friend. "…But he didn't mean ANY of it. People often say things in anger they don't mean, and I made the choice to take his word literally and take it too far. I know he still regrets it to this day, and I know his brothers still don't trust me…so I'd say you don't have the obligation to trust me, either."

Cheyloe gazed at him, smoldering anger no longer in her features. She just felt tired. She was aware of the anger issues Raphael harbored, but she never realized he was the catalyst in the attack that left Donnie severely injured. As much as she wanted to give the red-masked turtle a tongue-lashing once she found him, just having his brother presumed dead and missing was punishment enough for him. Besides, she understood how anger made you do things that you later regret; just ask Kaitlyn, wherever she was.

"…I believe you. You trying to treat me is proof enough that you want to change…but if I find out that you're reverting back to your old ways, I won't be so resigned."

Slash opened his mouth to reply, but jerked his head to the side when a faint noise resounded in one of the drainage tunnels. Chey heard it, too, getting up with a groan and creeping towards the entrance. It could be a Kraang, or maybe Master Splinter woke up and wandered the tunnels in delirium. Whatever the case, Chey knew a measly pocketknife wouldn't cut it. The behemoth turtle followed close behind, growing more concerned about the noise, and both slowly realized the noise sounded pained. Then, once they could barely peek into the tunnel, the two found an enormous shape coming forward in an agonizing crawl.

"…T-That is…one BIG alligator…" Chey jumbled out, stepping back quickly.

Slash stared at the alligator in question and raised an eye-ridge. Thinking back to his time as Spike, he remembered one day there was a huge ruckus in the lair after Michelangelo brought some creature home. Wait a minute, could this be the same creature? "…Is this that Leatherhead guy Michelangelo wouldn't shut up about?"

Though she didn't hang around Mikey much, Chey recalled him mentioning a friend by that name, and how he was lost in this place called 'Dimension X'. Now here he was lying on the cold sewer floor, and just looking at him told the brunette he was in desperate need of medical attention. Gashes, bruising, probably a few broken bones, and lying in nasty sewer water wouldn't do him any good if he had a crappy immune system. "We need to get him stabilized! If you've got any of those medical supplies left over, get them! If we don't treat these wounds, there's no telling what he'll get infected with!"

"Wait, you want ME to help you?" Slash asked nervously. "I told you, I'm not good at-"

"Just go and get the supplies already! Hurry!"

The behemoth turtle jumped back, but followed the command. While waiting, Cheyloe leaned over and gently patted the alligator's cheek while using her other hand to check his pulse. "Hey…hey, big guy. Come on, wake up. Tell me you can hear me…"

A few more pats on the scaly cheek did well to arouse the mutant…a little too well. The alligator-Leatherhead-snapped his eyes open and shot up, throwing the woman back. A roar echoed out of his jaws and his trembling fists rose in the air, but his fury drained as quickly as it came, leaving him back on the cold sewer floor. Panting, he forced his eyes up and noticed the terrified, grime-spattered, paled young woman scooting back. This wasn't the Kraang…this was a survivor of the invasion. But what of the Turtles and their family?

"…Turtles?" Leatherhead choked out.

"…They're not in the city." Slash answered somberly, coming back with the medical supplies and looking at the fellow mutant. "We escaped the Kraang, gator. You'd be better off staying with us, if you want to live." Laying the medical supplies down, he grunted out, "Now be a good gator and let the nice lady treat your wounds."

Chey immediately ran her hand over the gator's wounds, making the mutant hiss, before going for a bottle of iodine. "Now bear with me…this is going to sting a little."

* * *

 _A few hours and several rolls of Ace bandage wrap later…_

"So, uh, Leatherhead…how'd you end up in the shape you're in?" Cheyloe asked, putting the last of the bandage wrap on the mutant. "And how exactly do you know the Turtles?"

Leatherhead grunted when she tightened the wrap too tight, but shook his snout and replied, "I was a Kraang experiment, a normal alligator mutated into my current form. When I escaped with a Kraang power cell, the Turtles discovered me…and the one called Michelangelo showed me kindness. I helped them in fighting the Kraang, sacrificing myself and becoming trapped once again in Dimension X…that is why I appear older than I should be." The alligator absentmindedly traced his claws over a few scars, noticing the woman and Slash eyeing his aged appearance. "I returned here, and I aided Splinter in locating his sons when the Kraang invaded…and then…we came face-to-face with _him_."

Slash narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to ask, "Who's 'him'?"

Leatherhead's eyes narrowed, "…The man called Shredder."

Slash and Chey visibly tensed, and Leatherhead knew right away this wasn't the first time they heard of Shredder. Whether or not they also encountered him wasn't for certain, but if his name struck fear in their hearts, that told him enough. "I don't know what became of Splinter or his sons; I've not located their two human friends, either. I fear that they may be lost forever."

"No!"

Both mutants turned to the brunette, who looked down in a growing rage and strong denial. She refused to believe that the Turtles-that Donnie-could be dead because of the Kraang or that Shredder guy. She refused to believe that the only hope for New York was lost in the darkness and falling snow above. "They're not dead…I won't even think that! You shouldn't think that, either! They…they had to have escaped, that's all!" Her fists clenched, one of them hitting the pipe she sat on, and the other crushed several unopened packages of gauze; that was how in denial she was. "Donnie can't be dead…"

Slash sighed and placed his gigantic hand on her shoulder, making her trembles stop. "Look…Cheyloe…it's Hell up there. If the Turtles got out, then they got out before it got worse. But if they didn't escape…well, they're either in a Kraang lab, or they really are dead. However…"

The behemoth turtle rose to his feet, catching the attention of Chey and Leatherhead. A spiked hand clenched into a dangerous fist, and bluish-green mutagen eyes narrowed behind his black mask. "I'm not gonna stand by and let the Kraang OR the Foot take over this city. Even if I have to take 'em all on myself."

The brunette shot to her feet also, ignoring the pain in her leg and stomach, and agreed, "I'm with you on that one. Whatever we do, we do it for the Turtles, April, Casey, Splinter…everybody in New York."

With a low grunt, Leatherhead rose shakily on his feet, clutching to his side and murmuring, "For the Turtles and their family…we must fight and find survivors. Our numbers are small, but we shall succeed."

"Right…we can't take them on all at once." Slash agreed. "We take 'em out a little at a time and help any unmutated people…until the Turtles come back. Until that time…we fight in their name."

And thus started the Anti-Kraang Squad. Little did they know, their numbers would indeed grow.

* * *

Three weeks came and went, and still no sign of the Turtles. No April or Casey, no Splinter, no Karai, and no Anna and Kaitlyn. All Cheyloe could come across were Kraang patrolling the city, several 'Kraangitized' people barricaded in alleyways, weird cat-yowling miniature robots, and those Foot Bot things. The same could be said for Slash and Leatherhead, though they busied themselves with finding any intel on the Turtles. For Chey, however…she seized the opportunity to break into her own apartment, dig through her closet, and find just what she needed to take out the Kraang one-by-one.

She hid on the rooftops when she noticed a transport taking place. It wasn't an unusual sight now; every other night, those freaks transported some helpless humans, Kraangitized or not. From her perch, the brunette quickly realized this transport didn't involve humans, but something else. Two somethings, actually. Mutants…the first looked like a humanoid chimpanzee with metallic cuffs, and the others looked like a humanoid bird; a pigeon, maybe? One of the Kraang guarding them as they led them to an armored truck held a metal helmet, which the chimp mutant eyed helplessly before being shocked. The pigeon mutant yelped before being shoved forward towards the truck.

As disappointed as she was they weren't the Turtles, they didn't deserve to be treated like this. Though it was just her against almost a dozen Kraang, she had to do something. Closing one eye, she poked her gun over the edge of the roof and aimed it downward, at the droid holding the shock stick. It had no idea what came when the pulled the trigger and a bullet went straight through the pink alien center.

BANG

The other Kraang froze and aimed their rifles at wherever the shot came from; one went over and checked their deceased comrade. Chey had to send another shot and make them run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Maybe the one holding that helmet would do…

BANG

The helmet-holding Kraang dropped. The helmet rolled to the ground and came to rest right next to the chimp mutant's feet. With the other Kraang wildly searching for the source of the shots, the mutant seized the opportunity and grabbed the helmet before shoving it on his head. A moment later, the other Kraang found themselves suddenly levitating in the air, unable to use their weapons, and quickly hurled into several adjacent buildings. Whoa, this mutant had the same powers as Anna.

With the Kraang fleeing their robotic bodies, Chey crouched back down and carefully watched the now-freed mutants. The pigeon mutant still cowered near the truck, but the chimp mutant suddenly looked up in her direction. Did he know she was there? Would he end up hurting her?

"You up there!" He loudly whispered, "There's someone else in the truck who needs assistance!"

Hesitating at first, Chey slowly rose from her hiding place, not paying heed to the mutants' sudden surprise. The climb down was painful with her leg still healing, but she reached the two mutants and headed straight for the truck. To her shock, she saw a human man, cuffed and gagged. The brunette climbed into the truck in haste and did her best to unbind the man; she learned a little bit on picking locks from Donatello. Finally, his cuffs came off, and she tore away the gag as he broke out into hoarse coughs. She busied herself with checking the man's condition that she paid no heed to Slash and Leatherhead entering the fray.

"Cheyloe, we heard shots! Are you okay!?" Slash asked worriedly.

Leatherhead's eyes went to the other two mutants. "Who are they?"

The chimp mutant, seeing no threat from the two foreign mutants, cleared his throat and addressed, "I am Dr. Tyler Rockwell…or at least I _was_. A select few have given me the nickname 'Monkey Brains'. And this over here is…" He paused and waved and awkward hand to the pigeon mutant, "…Pigeon Pete. Now, who are you gentlemen, and who is this woman?"

"I'm Slash, and this is Leatherhead." The behemoth turtle replied before gesturing to the scraggly-looking brunette still tending to the mysterious man, "And this is our nurse-slash-sniper, Cheyloe. She managed to escape the Kraang, and she knows the Turtles who protect this city."

"The…Turtles?" The mutants and superhuman turned to the man coming to. He opened his watery eyes and rubbed at his sore face, catching his breath, and clarified, "I know them…they're the ones…protecting April O'Neil. Cheyloe…you must be the superhuman…Donatello told me about. It's nice to see a living superhuman face-to-face…"

"…Who are you? How do you know Donnie and April?" Chey asked in a low tone, now cautious.

She helped the man to his feet, patting his back as he coughed again, and allowed him to answer, "My name…is Jack Kurtzman. I've been investigating the Kraang. They…were about to transport me to be mutated…but you saved us. These two mutants were Kraang experiments about to be disposed of, but now we're free."

"Not for long, though." Slash countered, staring into the distance and hearing the hum of patrol drones. "We'd better get to shelter. I found an abandoned warehouse we can hide in, so we'd better move quick! Let's go!"

Cheyloe noticed Pigeon Pete refusing to move from his spot; he still shook with fear. Despite the approaching danger of back-up forces, the brunette calmly walked up to the avian mutant and held out her hand, giving him a gentle smile. "Hey…everything's gonna be okay. I know you're still hurting from those shocks, but I can treat it. You can trust me…come on and take my hand."

Pigeon Pete whimpered, but seeing the woman's eyes told him she was being truthful. Slowly, he reached out and grasped her hand, getting to his feet and hurrying alongside her to catch up with the others. Once they got this Kurtzman guy treated and the new mutants' wounds doctored, they would go from there.

If only the Turtles were here…

* * *

Tonight marked five months since the invasion happened.

Cheyloe once again found herself alone on the rooftops, taking out the Kraang one-by-one. She knew she went against the wishes of Kurtzman and the Mutanimals, but she didn't exactly care right now. The Mutanimals…ever since that rescue, the group became a makeshift team residing in that abandoned warehouse. Kurtzman explained his knowledge of the Kraang and their connection with April; something Donatello barely touched upon with her. He went on to explain his knowledge on superhumans, giving her a history lesson she half-knew already. The info was much appreciated, nonetheless.

She treated the wounds of Rockwell and Pigeon Pete, earning their trust and gratitude. After that, she started learning more and more of the mutants' histories. Rockwell was a former human scientists betrayed and mutated by his ex-partner, Victor Falco. Pigeon Pete was an ordinary pigeon mutated by the Kraang for experimentation. Slash was Raphael's former pet who mutated himself to enact his former master's dark, ill-guided wishes, only to regret his actions. Leatherhead was a former pet mutated by the Kraang, and his temper was best calmed by the absent Michelangelo. She shared a brief history of herself with them, told them of when she received her powers, and how she came to know Donatello.

She became their medic as they slowly grew into a team. Kurtzman became their benefactor. If she looked at it another way, he became their Splinter. In fact, all of them reminded her of the Turtles in some ways. Slash gave commands and had an air of confidence…just like Leo. Though he connected with Mikey, Leatherhead reminded her of Raph, due to their temper and strength. Rockwell, sadly, reminded her of Donnie; their intellect combined would surely put Einstein to shame. Pigeon Pete made her think of Mikey, because both loved food and often acted spontaneously. Soon, they came to call themselves the Mighty Mutanimals.

From her perch on the rooftop, watching the Kraang, she felt sad for thinking of the Turtles. They never returned, but they couldn't be dead. She still refused to believe it, no matter how much the others told her otherwise. No matter what happened to them, she'd fight the Kraang in their name; take back the city alone if she had to. With her rifle aimed on a group of scouts, she didn't pay attention to the figure approaching behind her.

"Hey you! I'm not saying I don't condone what you do, but you're being awful reckless to take the Kraang on by yourself! So just come with me and I'll give you shelter! Don't even think about screaming at me, either!"

The rifle quickly fell out of her grasp and her eyes widened. That voice…that was _his_ voice, but how was this possible? Not caring that the Kraang could be watching, she raised from her crouching position and slowly turned to face the other individual sharing the rooftop. After five long months…she couldn't help but let out the tears she kept in.

"…D-Donnie?"

* * *

 **And that concludes Chey's encounter with the Mutanimals, and entering into Chapter 27. The next drabble I do will either be Donnie mulling over going back in time and seeing Embry's death, or Chey giving Mikey a talking to after The Creeping Doom. A third option might involve a Leo-centered drabble, but I don't know what scenario to put him in. What do you guys think? What catches your interest the most?**


	8. Creeping Lectures

**Author's Note: Well, according to the results, the next drabble that'll be featured is...Chey giving Mikey a lecture after "The Creeping Doom". Now, many of you feel, like I do, that Mikey got off scat-free for accidentally sapping Donnie's intelligence; after all, he messed around in the lab and that caused everything to happen. Well, we've got someone calling him out on it, and that is our dear friend Cheyloe! I also wanted to touch upon another issue with Mikey: him seemingly creating perfect concoctions out of random crap while Donnie has to work for months on them. Well, let's just say Chey's got something to say about that, too. Well, be sure to read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 8: Creeping Lectures

"Who does Donnie think he is? I turned him back to his smarty-pants self, and he's got the nerve…"

Michelangelo was in the middle of pulling a Raph-grumbling under his breath in irritation and wounded pride-when he headed for the kitchen for leftover pizza. He should have been happy, but Donatello's casual-but-scathing remark left him miffed and desiring to be alone the rest of the night. To be fair, the remark towards his own intelligence was deserved, considering what led up to it.

It all started with Mikey once again messing around in the lab, despite Donnie repeatedly telling him not to. His genius brother spent hours researching the freshly-retrieved brain worm in order to synthesize an antidote for the currently-brainwashed Karai. Mikey finally went overboard, and that resulted in the experimental serum splashing onto Donnie's skin. That led to Donnie's intelligence being sapped away and reducing him to a blathering idiot, the Creep being revived, a clone of Snakeweed, and the two merging together into the Creepweed. Desperate, the freckled turtle mixed together an odd concoction that, miraculously, restored his brother's intelligence, and Donnie destroyed the Creepweed with a retromutagen-based weed killer. All was restored…and then Donnie made the remark.

 _"_ _But now I finally understand how you feel all the time."_

That was Donnie's round-and-about way of calling him stupid. Sure, he smile and acted casual the whole time, but Mikey wasn't blind; Donnie was still steamed over it and pointed it out with veiled name-calling. Now he found himself angry and in need of food to calm his nerves; a bad habit he wouldn't admit to.

"I mean, I mixed up the stuff that turned him back to normal, and he tells me I'm stupid?" The orange-masked turtle grumbled, opening up the freezer door to pet Ice Cream Kitty before closing it and going to the refrigerator door. "I saved his butt more than once in Dimension X, I helped him hack the Kraang base, I even helped make his retromutagen _better_!" Slamming the fridge door with a pizza box in hand, he continued to grumble, "Next time he gets in a pickle, let's see if I'll help his sorry-"

"Mikey, we need to talk."

Mikey jumped out of his shell when the voice and face of Cheyloe greeted him. Instead of the comforting smile and bright eyes she always plastered on, her lips were pressed into a thin line and her eyes narrowed at the sight of him. Why was she in a bad mood? Oh, yeah, he knew why. Right when Donnie's symptoms appeared, April called Cheyloe over to see if she could determine a medical cause. Attempting to diagnose the purple-masked turtle turned into Chey having to babysit him and talk him down, and for some reason he fell in love with her coat. Even with Donnie now back to his smart self, the brunette stayed over to monitor him for headaches or any other returning symptoms. Apparently, she didn't forget the root cause of the trouble.

"Chey, don't scare a turtle!" Mikey breathed out, a hand clutching his plastron and the other with the pizza box in a death grip, "I thought you went home!"

Chey shook her head, "No, I didn't. I'm monitoring Donnie over the next twenty-four hours to make sure your _magical_ cure is permanent." Her tone grew harsh at the word 'magical', something unusual for the normally-cheery nurse. Mikey immediately knew his fate was sealed when she pried the pizza box from his hand and added, "Since Donnie's relaxing in his room right now, this gives me the perfect opportunity to give you the lecture of a lifetime!"

"Lecture!?" Mikey gaped and took a few steps back in vain, "B-But I cured Donnie! Everything turned out okay in the end, Chey!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, none of it would've happened if YOU hadn't been messing around in the lab when you weren't supposed to!" The brunette ran her fingers through her hair to calm her nerves before getting to upset, but started pacing the kitchen and going on, "Mikey, how many times are you going to do this? You mess around in Donnie's lab when you're not supposed to, you mutate April's cat! You do it again, and you almost wreck the retromutagen! Now you do this, and Donnie turns into an idiot!"

"But…"

Chey whipped around, "No buts! Sure, you managed to make the mutagen better, and you cured Donnie…but that doesn't excuse the fact that most of the problems you solve out of _dumb luck_ are problems YOU created in the first place!"

Mikey frowned, not liking Chey going into an outburst and giving him a lecture; that was Leo and Splinter's job. She wasn't his mom, though having her for a mom would be nice, and she certainly didn't need to blame him for everything that went wrong in the lab. "It's not 'dumb luck'! I'm just that awesome! How come no one wants to see me as being just as good as Donnie!? Don't tell me you're gonna be like everyone else, Chey! Uncool, dudette! Besides, if Donnie would hang out with me and not have his experiments lying around, all that stuff wouldn't happen!"

He immediately ran the words back through his mind and realized he couldn't have said anything more inappropriate. Chey's growing frustration made it worse, and he had to work fast to backtrack. Unfortunately…

"So you're saying it's Donnie's fault all those things happened?" She asked lowly before running her hand over her face with a huff, "Mikey, that's low. Why can't you just learn your lessons for once? I mean, if Donnie heard that you blamed him for all that instead of taking responsibility yourself, that'd make him feel even worse!"

Mikey immediately straightened and found himself growing worried. "What do you mean by worse?"

Chey chewed on her lip in hesitation, but sighed once again and took a deep breath, "Mikey…don't tell Donnie I said this, but…whenever you make that stuff out of sheer luck, or when you manage to do better than him with the Kraang tech or anything like that…" She closed her eyes and forced herself to admit the truth, "You make him feel incompetent."

The freckled turtle's mouth gaped open. "I-I what?"

She started to regret admitting it, but Mikey had to know what was going on so he could at least understand. Just because he was the youngest didn't mean his behavior could go unchecked. Though it was up to Master Splinter whether or not to discipline him, that didn't mean she couldn't have her own input. "Donnie still shares stuff with me that he doesn't want to share with anyone else. Before you ask, no, he's not afraid you'll make fun of him…he doesn't want you guys to worry. But…Donnie worked for months to get that retromutagen correct…and then you come and just throw random junk in it, then it's absolutely perfect."

"…I don't like where this is going…" Mikey murmured.

"Then, when Donnie's been working for days on those gross worms, and he gets splashed with that serum…you once again throw in random junk and make a magic elixir. When he's trying to figure out Kraang tech, you just mash random buttons and everything's okay. Then, pretty soon…will he be needed anymore since you've apparently got the magic touch?"

Mikey immediately paled. With his random actions often saving the day lately, especially when the Kraang and Dimension X were involved, he thought none of his brothers paid any mind as long as it worked…but he was wrong. Donnie was affected by it, and one thing that shook Mikey to his core was one of his brothers thinking he was useless. Especially if HE was the one making Donnie feel useless. It wasn't like he was trying to make Donnie useless; he thought he was just helping. Now…

"I-I didn't mean…I don't want Donnie to feel like we don't need him!" Mikey blurted, eyes blurred with unshed tears and voice cracking, "I-I just thought I was helping him out! I just wanted Donnie to relax, so I thought I'd help with his projects so he wouldn't have so much to do, and then we could…"

"Hang out, right?" Chey figured in a calmer tone, "Mikey, Donnie's got a lot on his shoulders now; I don't get to hang out with him much, either. I mean, you know as well as I do that Leo won't give him a break over that brain worm cure…"

Mikey puffed out his cheeks, "Leo's being a jerk over a dumb crush."

"I know, Mikey. But look…if you want to help Donnie out with his projects, ASK first." Cheyloe reprimanded, still standing firm and not letting those blue eyes shake her determination, "Don't just barge in and mess around because you want to have fun or force Donnie to hang out with you. And if Donnie tells you not to bother anything, listen to him. It'll take a lot of stress off his shoulders."

The freckled turtle wiped at his eyes, still eaten up by his brother's hidden feeling, and muttered, "I'll step back with the Kraang stuff, too. If he has trouble with it, I'll ask if I can help him first…I just don't want Donnie feeling like he's useless. That's the last thing I want him to feel…'cause I know what it's like to feel that way."

"Mikey, you're not useless. None of you are useless." Chey scolded, keeping her eyes narrowed, "Mikey, I know your intentions are good, but the stuff you pulled doesn't need to go unpunished. I'm going to talk to Master Splinter and let him know all that happened…then he'll decide how to go from there."

Mikey gave a feeble nod, "I know…"

Chey's face relaxed once again, and with her anger cooled she commanded, "Mikey…promise me that you'll learn your lesson and stick with it. Don't just do it for Donnie…do it for yourself, too. If you want the others to stop treating you like a kid, then show them that you've learned from your experiences and want to better yourself. I know you want to, or else this lecture would be pointless."

Mikey nervously rubbed his arm and nodded once again. As much as he wanted to whine and say it wasn't fair, he knew this was something he needed for a long time. After all, if someone tells you something you didn't like hearing, that meant they loved you enough to tell the truth…and he got that from Cheyloe. He had to grow up, yes, but it didn't mean completely changing himself; like Chey said, he just had to learn from his mistakes and better himself in some areas.

If it helped Donnie, then he was all for it, no matter what kind of punishment he'd receive from Sensei.

"Chey?" Mikey asked quietly, still looking at the floor, "C-Can I give you a hug?"

The brunette blinked at the request. She gave him a lecture, and he wanted to give her a hug for it? Either he was about to butter her up and make her wishy-washy…or it was his way of saying 'I'm sorry' or 'thank you'. Her heart determined by his posture and voice that it was the latter, and how could she refuse that? A small smile on her lips, she replied, "…Of course you can, Mikey. Come here…"

Mikey immediately buried his face into her shoulder, hiding a few sniffles as he wrapped his arms around her torso. Feeling her arms snake around him in comfort brought him some relief in the harsh situation. It didn't mean he was out of hot water, but at least he could handle it better. Everything Chey told him was for his benefit, even when he didn't want to believe it at first. No wonder Donnie always felt better after talking to her…it made him a little jealous. It didn't matter, though, because he wanted his brother to be happy, even if it meant he still had to talk to Cheyloe about any troubles.

Now if only she could give Leo a lecture on his Karai obsession.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Who says Chey's going to stay mad at Mikey? That doesn't mean she's not going to make sure he lives up to his promise to do better. Mikey's still a lovable goofball, but from now on, he's going to be sensitive to how the others feel, especially Donnie. Now, next up, we'll have Donnie's reflections on witnessing the death of Embry Karnes, and I believe the drabble after that will involve some Leo and Donnie bonding...with a twist. Until next time, stay tuned!**


	9. Reflections of a Witness

**Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to another addition of Turtle Dove Tidbits! Our latest drabble has Donnie thinking on his trip into the past and witnessing what happened to little Embry. With this problem eating away at him, who can he talk to that isn't Cheyloe? Well, a certain rat will volunteer. This drabble takes place before 'The Fourfold Trap'. Read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 9: Reflections of a Witness

"Ow, hey, that burns!"

"That's what iodine's supposed to do. The burn means it's killing the infection."

Raphael kept up his complaints when Cheyloe dabbed more of the offending substance on his fresh wounds. Said wounds were the result of once again going to the extremes in training with Leonardo, and he received his treatment after his older brother. Normally, he would only allow Donatello to treat his wounds, but since he was occupied with an 'important' matter and Chey was already here, he had to let the brunette do the job. Donnie would be here with the first-aid kit ready if a certain _someone_ didn't guilt-trip him into continuing on that brain worm cure.

"Honestly Raph, you and Leo keep this up, you'll need a reality show." Chey murmured with a shake of her head. "How long are you two going to keep up your little cock-fight?"

Raph grumbled, "Hey, I'm not the one moping about his _girlfriend_ every other minute. I swear, if I even hear the name Karai one more time-"

"I was just reminding you of our primary focus, Raph!" Leo retorted, waiting in line to be doctored while stewing on the sofa like a pouting child denied a cookie, "Donnie has more important things to do than doctor your little boo-boos."

"Leo."

The reprimanding voice of Chey caught Leo's attention, prompting him to turn his head and meet her disapproving glare. Before he could attempt to defend himself, the brunette beat him to it.

"These 'boo-boos' could lead to a serious infection if not treated, and Donnie's life shouldn't revolve around the brain-worm cure…whether you want to hear it or not." Once she tightened the bandages on Raph's knuckles and placed a bandage on his cheek, she patted the couch and announced, "Now…you're next."

It was when Raph got up and Leo sat in his place when Donnie appeared out of the lab, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes and stifling a yawn. Another sleepless night engrossed in research, and he was nowhere near finding a way to counteract the mind-control serum. If he couldn't find a solution and fast, then Karai would remain Shredder's unwilling puppet and they themselves would be a risk of being infected with brain worms. He wouldn't breathe a word of his lack of success to Leo, however; his brother's growing obsession to save Karai had him enough on-edge already. Just a cup of coffee and he would get back to work-

 _"_ _Deep in the meadow, under the willow…"_

Donnie froze when he heard Cheyloe singing in a low voice as she doctored Leo. Those lyrics…they were just like the song she sang when he went back in time and-

 _"_ _A bed of grass, a soft green pillow…"_

"Hey D, you okay?"

The genius turtle ignored the suddenly-appearing Michelangelo's question; he could only hear the lyrics of the song Chey sang. He knew her enough to know she sometimes sang as she worked on something delicate; usually to soothe the nerves of difficult patients. After the 'incident', however, hearing her sing brought back the images of what he witnessed. Even from where he stood, he could see the unshed tears gathering in her eyes. Leo's confusion didn't help matters, and the slight crack in the brunette's voice made his thoughts go in every direction.

Pushing past Mikey, Donnie hurriedly sputtered, "I-I need to go t-take a shower!"

Ignoring the worried stares of his brothers and Cheyloe, Donnie made a mad-dash for the bathroom, locked the door behind him, and stripped himself of his gear as he turned the water on full-blast. A moment of letting the water warm up, and he rushed inside the calcium-spattered stall with a deep sigh. The turtle closed his eyes and allowed the water to soak into his scaly skin...both to wash away lab chemicals and keep his thoughts together. Thoughts on not only Cheyloe…but the moment he witnessed the death of Embry Karnes.

He didn't go into full details with his brothers or even Splinter, but he shared enough for them to know the gravity of it. It was a total double-whammy; first seeing the death of the beloved Tang Shen, and then he alone witnessing little Embry being killed by that thug Syzygy. Neither could be saved, or else they wouldn't exist and he wouldn't be alive; Splinter and Cheyloe's survival had to be ensured, no matter the cost. They didn't even share what they saw happen to Shen with Splinter, and Donnie certainly didn't share witnessing Embry be impaled, both out of fear that their father and friend would chastise them for not saving their loved ones. Even if they didn't get angry if the information was shared, the guilt of letting two innocent people die and allowing a girl to grow up under a blanket of lies would remain. Renet told them nothing could be done…it didn't make him feel any better.

A knock on the door made Donnie jump and almost slide in the shower. "U-Uh, it's occupied!"

"Donatello, are you all right?" The voice of Splinter asked, muffled by the wooden barrier and running water.

"Y-Yeah, Sensei!" Donnie replied a little too quickly, "I'm just washing off before I get back to work!"

Silence, then an unexpected, "When you are done showering, I wish to speak with you."

Donnie suddenly wished the shower would last forever, but decided against his wish for two reasons: he didn't feel like turning into a giant green prune, and he didn't feel like hearing anyone complain about the hot water being used up. Briskly, he shut off the shower, haphazardly dried himself with a spare towel, and shoved his gear back on in time to greet his father.

"Donatello, please follow me to the dojo so we can speak in private." Splinter urged in his usual calm tone.

The purple-masked turtle blinked, "A-Are you sure we can't talk right here?"

"The conversation I want to have is best done with just the two of us present." The rat insisted as he walked to the dojo, stopping to turn his head and cast his son a somber look, "I do not wish to worry your brothers or Miss Doggett."

With that comment made, Donnie wasted no time in following the rat to the safety of the dojo, ignoring the passing glances of his brothers and Cheyloe. The brunette's gaze almost tore him apart, but he kept himself stoic…then he could unleash everything bottled up without consequence. He saw their expressions before the doors closed and swallowed the suffocating lump in his throat. Now, time to drop the façade and pour his heart out.

"Donatello…first and foremost, I wish for you to forgive me." Splinter sighed dejectedly.

The genius turtle tilted his head, "Forgive you? For what, Sensei?"

"For putting so much pressure onto you to cure Miwa." The rat confessed. A few steps forward and he faced the ever-familiar black-and-white photograph of his former self, the late Tang Shen, and baby Miwa. He didn't see the grimace on his son's face when he also glanced at the photo. "I know how hard you've been working on developing a cure, and I have made a few passing comments that have induced guilt; that was never my intention, my son. Even if the solution does not come from science, a solution will present itself…we must believe that."

Despite his father's words, Donnie hung his head and felt even more guilt for not having the cure right now. "S-Sensei, I…"

"And do not let Leonardo's words and behaviors leave you with guilt." Splinter added in a pleading tone, something he rarely did except when they were rambunctious children; that had Donnie worried. "I know his heart is in the right place, but he is allowing his judgment to be clouded by his feelings for her…and he does not realize that saving Karai will not make her obligated to return those feelings."

 _Just like I used to be with April._ Donnie felt a little better about that, but it didn't alleviate the heaviness remaining in his chest, threatening to crush him little-by-little. At least Splinter wasn't trying to excuse what Leo was doing, but it would still help if he actually _talked_ to him about it. All that, though, he could get used to it. The other matter, however…

"I also noted you rushed into the bathroom when you heard Miss Doggett singing." Splinter spoke, breaking his son out of his thoughts. "Why did that seem to bother you?"

Donnie opened and closed his mouth several times, figuring out what he could possibly say. Well, the truth would be a great option. Ignoring the stinging in his eyes, the turtle took a deep breath and decided to explain everything. "When I went back in time and saw what happened to Embry…she sang to him. That song she was singing while doctoring Leo was the same song she sang to Embry before…before he…"

Splinter didn't expect his son to suddenly break down in tears and bury his face into his furry shoulder. The Sensei part of him told him to admonish Donatello for letting his emotions get the better of him, but the father part of him told him to hold his son until he calmed down. The father part of him won, and his arms wrapped around his son's shell in comfort. Donnie sobs and hitches in breath broke the rat's heart; whatever he witnessed involving the Karnes boy's death had to be jarring to make him this upset. And it was obvious to him that Donatello did not want Cheyloe to know a word of this, possibly out of fear of her blaming him.

Donnie rubbed his snout against Splinter's robes and hiccupped, "S-Sensei…I-I always knew the Shredder a-and the Kraang were evil…b-but that night…I-I saw _true_ evil." He kept his head down and failed to see the broken expression on his father's face and whimpered, "T-That guy was more than willing to kill a _child_ …I've gotten used t-to seeing a-adults die…but I-I can never get used to seeing a child die."

Splinter didn't know what to say to alleviate his son's grief and guilt, so he allowed Donnie to continue, "I-It made me think…if someone like that monster c-could kill a kid like Embry…w-what kind of level would Shredder stoop down to? W-Will he start killing kids, too!? W-Will we have even more Embrys!? Will…will more people have to suffer like Cheyloe did? Or his parents?"

"Donatello, calm yourself!"

He felt the turtle flinch in his hold. While he didn't mean to raise his voice, Donatello's increasing panic and voice-volume would alert everyone else. The rat calmly rubbed circles on his son's upper shell while the turtle kept his face buried. "My son…I cannot imagine what it's like to watch a young child die in such a cruel way. You are right in that there are truly evil people in this world, some more evil than the Shredder. Though he refuses to amend his ways, I am not for certain Shredder would go that far. But know this, my son…"

The rat went to lift Donnie's chin up so their eyes would meet. "What happened to Embry was not your fault. You could not have prevented what happened."

"B-But Sensei, I feel like I talked him into killing himself!" Donnie argued, more tears falling from his eyes as he shouted, "He's dead because of…"

"That's enough, Donatello. I already told you that you are not at fault." Splinter retorted as he stared Donnie in the eyes and looked at him as a father, not a Sensei, "Embry was in fact just a child, but he made the choice to do what he did. He was willing to give his life if it meant saving someone he loved. Your only contribution was to give him courage to stand up and face his fears."

"But that still means-"

"You did not force him to make that choice, Donatello. Therefore, you have no right to blame yourself for what happened. Just like whatever happened during your first journey in time is no fault of yours or your brothers."

How did Sensei get a feeling about that? Probably through meditation, or some advance ninja senses, or just from the look and dread on their faces when they saw the photo of Tang Shen and Miwa. Whatever the case, the words didn't make Donnie feel totally better, but at least he could get his feelings out on the table with his father. It still pained him that he couldn't talk to Cheyloe, the queen of deep conversations, about this…but it was for the best. There were always things he couldn't talk about, not even with her.

"Sensei…how did you manage to get through Tang Shen's death?" Donnie asked suddenly.

The rat sighed painfully and picked up the photo of the bittersweet past, brushing his clawed finger over Shen's face as though she was standing right in front of him, "It was very difficult, Donatello. The first few years, even after I found myself blessed with the four of you…I had moments where I no longer wished to live. But I realized over time that Shen would not want me to give up on living. She would want me to live life to the fullest…and do for the four of you what I couldn't do for Miwa."

The info didn't exactly surprise the turtle. There were a few times as a young child he came across his father in the dojo crying over the photo and a few other mementos: Miwa's baby blanket, a comb Shen wore in her hair, Splinter even preserved his old wedding robe. Donnie couldn't fathom how his father managed it all these years, but maybe he could empathize with a certain someone.

"Sensei…would you be willing to talk to Cheyloe? I think…she could use that advice."

Splinter's whiskers twitched, "Do you believe she will be receptive of said advice, my son?"

"Well, she's always allowed me to talk to her about my problems." Donnie replied quietly, "I think it's time she talked to someone about her problems."

 _It's not her fault Embry died, but I think it's going to take more than me to convince her._

A few days later, the Turtles, April, and Cheyloe were caught in horrid traps created by the brainwashed Karai, who lured them there after a nasty fight between the brothers. Splinter rescued them, and Chey and Kaitlyn later found the mentally-free Karai unconscious in the sewers. While she rested at the ladies' apartment, Leo apologized to Donnie for making him feel like Karai mattered more than his well-being, Donnie accepted after insinuating that his brother wanted to do the do with their adoptive sister, and the next day Kaitlyn swatted the turtle in blue for being, in her words, a 'love-obsessed prick'. Donnie soon gave Chey a prescription of daily talks with Splinter on how to deal with the death of Embry; talking with someone who could relate helped.

What didn't help was Mikey giving Splinter the nickname Doc Rat, Therapist Extraordinaire.

* * *

 **So, it looks like we may end up having a drabble of some Splinter and Cheyloe moments, eh? Well, I also have planned a few more drabbles including Leo reflecting on Donnie's injuries during the Triceraton invasion, April's time with the superhuman ladies, a Leo and Chey moment, and even a Karai-centered drabble. Keep sending some suggestions, too, and I'll do what I can! I'll even let it slip that I'm planning some dimensional-travel drabbles involving a set of pizza-loving turtles from the 1980's. Well, do stay tuned!**


	10. The Ways We Bond

**Author's Note: Finally, I'm back with another drabble! Now, you could probably count this as a 'part 2' with the previous drabble, since it happens right after Donnie's talk with Splinter. Here we'll see some Splinter and Chey bonding, and Raph and April's relationship beginning to blossom. Meanwhile, a silent observer is questioning what the love shared among the Hamato Clan means as an invasion of reptilian aliens draws near. Read and review!**

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Drabble 10: The Ways We Bond

"Cheyloe, I can tell you are a little embarrassed. I assure you, there is nothing to be ashamed of in my presence."

Cheyloe didn't say anything at first, resigning herself to watching Splinter pour hot tea into two waiting cups on the small table. "I-I just…sorry. I've never spoken to anyone about this except for Anna and Kaitlyn…and Donnie."

Splinter sat the tea kettle down on a tray and knelt on the other side of the table with a simple nod. When he opened his eyes to the young woman, his brown eyes radiated sympathy; she had more in-common with Donatello than she would admit. "Rest assure, I will not judge you. I simply wish for you to keep open ears and an open mind. Take it from someone who can empathize with your history."

The way the brunette tensed as she quietly took a hot cup told the rat he was on-target already. Her apprehensiveness was to be expected, however; she hardly talked to anyone about this matter except her friends and Donatello. The rat kept an observation of Cheyloe to himself as well: he knew the cheerful front she displayed during her visits was nothing more than a mask to hide this hurt. Though the idea never came to him until Donatello brought it up, he knew now it was best to talk to her about this for two reasons. One, he could empathize with her, and two…someone had to help her let go of this guilt before irreversible damage was done.

"First off…why don't you tell me about Embry?" Splinter requested calmly, giving her a small, reassuring smile, "What was he like?"

"W-Well…"

Chey's voice started shaking. As much as she didn't want to do this with someone other than Donnie, this would help her whether she wanted it to or not. The first step in letting go of the guilt and grief would be getting out of her comfort zone…and boy, Splinter was good at that. "Embry was a great kid. Polite, energetic, and cared about people to a fault. He was easily scared sometimes…he couldn't even sleep unless I was right there next to him. He also understood things a lot more compared to other kids his age, maybe because he knew people wanted to hurt him. No one should…"

The young woman couldn't finish her sentence, but Splinter took that liberty and concluded, "I know…no one should want to hurt a child."

The brunette fiddled with her tea cup and simply stared at her reflection in the green liquid, "I know I've been told so many times it wasn't my fault, but I still think about what I could've done differently. What if we never went camping? What if I was able to move in time to stop it?" A small sigh, and then the million-dollar question, "Master Splinter…do you often think of that with your wife?"

Splinter gave a forlorn glance to the old photograph on the shelf. "…I often ask myself what would occur had I not feuded with Saki. If I had paid more attention to Shen and Miwa…if I had not given into my former brother's taunts. At times, I even wondered what would've happened had my father not adopted Saki. One thing I know I could not change, however…was Shen putting herself up as a shield. All to save the life of a foolish man who happened to be her husband."

"…Embry didn't even hesitate to put himself between me and Syzygy." Chey added in, biting her lip and holding back painful tears, "Sometimes…sometimes I wish it was me instead of him."

"I too often wished that I had perished instead of Shen. If she lived, then perhaps she could have taken Miwa and fled far from Saki." Splinter admitted, "But had I not lived, I would not have been blessed with my sons, even when it cost me my human form. If you had not lived, you would not have been blessed with meeting and befriending Donatello."

Chey looked up at the rat and pondered out-loud, "W-Well, that's true…if I had died, no one would've saved Donnie from Slash at the right time."

Splinter nodded, internally praising himself for successfully having her open up about this. "There is one more thing I've had to learn from the past: Tang Shen would not want me to live with the wish that I died instead of her or alongside her. I truly believe that Embry would not want you to throw your life away because of something beyond your control."

 _Some things are just beyond our control._

She repeated those words to Donnie when he told her of April's dad being mutated. Donnie told her those words all those nights ago. Now Splinter repeated them. Even though she knew it was true, she couldn't shake that guilt and the what-ifs away now. Part of her WANTED to hold on to the guilt because she felt she felt she was as bad as Syzygy…she couldn't save Embry. Her fear allowed him to die, she told herself. Saving someone else wasn't enough…but maybe it was, just this once. Maybe saving Donnie and saving Karai would be just enough.

"I-I understand, Master Splinter…thank you."

If she only knew what was about to come and send her back to square one.

* * *

"Come on, raise those fists higher! Show me that you actually wanna be a kunoichi!"

April shouted and shot her fist at Raphael, growing frustrated as he blocked yet another one of her blows. "I punched you good in Northampton! Why can't I land a hit on you now!?"

A few more blows blocked and a cry of frustration from the redhead later, Raph had enough. He caught April by the fist and held tight as he raised his leg and delivered a swift kick to her side, knocking her to the rooftop. Part of him wanted to panic and immediately go to help her up, but he knew she needed to handle the pain better than she had been. Since Karai's recovery, April's fighting skills became sloppy, unfocused, fueled by internal conflict, and no one knew why. Raph had an idea, however…and he knew April let it get to her too much.

 _"_ _If it isn't the wannabe kunoichi! Always trying!"_

Though Karai was still under mind-control when she gave the scathing remark, it hurt April just the same. As quickly as she progressed, those words were enough to make her feel her progress was for nothing. The red-masked turtle knew it hurt her that much when he could see the redhead on her knees and elbows, choking back sobs and pounding her fist against the asphalt. The others would coddle her, tell her that it was just the brain-worm talking, that she was stronger than ever. Raph wouldn't sugarcoat it to protect her feelings.

"You're letting Karai get to ya. What she told ya last night's still messin' with your head, isn't it?"

"I'm not letting her 'get to me'!" April vehemently denied, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed into icy slits as she struggled to get back to her feet. The pain in her side made her breathless, but she wouldn't back down and be the weak girl she was before. "I'm just fine, Raph! I've just been off, that's all!"

Denial, denial, denial. And here he thought HE had a bad temper. "Bull, April! You've been doing great in your training, then Karai says one thing and your back to being a sloppy mess! I know I'm one to talk, but you're _letting_ those words eat at ya! Ya gotta let it go, April!"

"You're right, you ARE one to talk, Mr. No One Understands Me!" The redhead spat venomously, getting to her feet and wildly swinging her fists at Raph with the intent of knocking some teeth out. "You tell me to let it go, and yet you get mad if your brothers poke fun at you!"

"You just proved my point: it IS getting to ya!"

Raph blocked each of her punches and finally caught her fists, forcing her into a locked stance and making her stare him in the eyes. Seeing her misty, rage-filled, hopeless eyes told him more than any denials or cries she could make. He understood it all, but that didn't mean it was good for her. He could handle a lot of anger, but it was something April didn't need to handle, especially if she got too worried about catching up to someone who had experience to her advantage.

"April…don't be like me. Be above it. If ya keep comparing yourself to Karai, you're never gonna improve. Don't be Karai or any of us; be April O'Neil!" Raph spoke, almost pleading.

"SHUT UP!" April fought to break her hands out of Raph's grasp, but her strength compared to his kept her there, so she resorted to simply trying to push him down on his shell. "Being April O'Neil means I'm just a weak little princess who always gets captured! It means no matter what I do, I'm never good enough! All I'll ever be is a wannabe kunoichi-"

April didn't count on the amount of force she used against the turtle to actually push him over. Satisfaction washed over her at seeing Raph falling backwards…until she realized she was still in his hold. Both screamed and expected to fall over the edge of the roof and end up a pulpy puddle of flesh and bone thanks to unneeded stubbornness. Instead of dying, however, April opened her eyes and saw herself lying on top of Raphael and staring into his emerald eyes, blushing in a mix of fury and embarrassment. Looking into his eyes, however, she found not the usual wall of anger and gruffness that often kept her from reading him and actually having a connection with him. Instead, she found empathy. Why would he empathize with her?

"...I know what it's like, feelin' that you're never gonna be good enough." Raph confessed, letting go of her wrists and making no attempt at getting her off his plastron, much to her surprise. "I always thought I'd never be as good as Leo. He did everything perfectly, and I just fell short every time…so I got mad, taunted him, an' lashed out at Donnie and Mikey. Over time I had to realize…I can't compare myself to Leo. I can't BE Leo. He's got strengths, an' I've got strengths…just like you can do things Karai can't."

April glanced away in a huff and fought not to cry, but couldn't help when small tears streamed down her burning freckled cheeks, "But what if I'm always weak? What if I am just trying? Why don't I feel adequate?"

"If you're basin' all your self-worth on someone like Karai, then you've got no hope, April." Raph stated plainly. "You may not be th' best in a fight yet, but you've still got your wits, your Kraang powers…and you've got somethin' Karai's only grasping: compassion. You don't put others down, an' you certainly don't make fun of someone for puttin' in their best."

A green hand went to cup the redhead's cheek, and the mutant concluded, "Like I said…don't be Karai. Be the April O'Neil we know and love…and don't be a hothead like me."

April admitted to herself that she never took into account Raph's feelings of inadequacy when it came to Leo. Heck, she could feel from his emotions that he felt inadequate with all of his brothers. Not having Leo's leadership, Donnie's scientific genius, Mikey's sense of humor…no wonder he knew how she felt. Yet he hid those feelings of inadequacy while she openly lashed out in denial and hurt. She often lashed out at the others, especially Donnie, because they would coddle her and keep things too safe…not Raph. Raph understood in ways that they didn't, and ways that even Casey would never comprehend. That's what prompted her to press her forehead to his plastron and cry. Raph gave zero protest.

"I'll help ya, April…ya just gotta promise me ya won't lie to me or yourself anymore."

The redhead only replied with a feeble nod and a tired, "Thank you…"

* * *

 _Earthlings…they are an odd bunch._

 _At the request of my father and Bishop, I am observing these Turtles and their allies. What is it about them that interests the Kraang? It is obvious with the girl named April O'Neil: she is their successful experiment. The Turtles are mere accidents that continuously get in their way. The Kraang still obsess over them like fleas. Since sightings of that reptilian scout began, the Kraang have been making their return. The Kraang may have scientific prowess, technology beyond human understanding, and their sheer numbers…but there is something these Turtles and their allies have that they don't._

 _Love._

 _Compassion._

 _Mercy._

 _Kraang Prime forgot these things long ago. Though my father is housed in a robotic shell, he has never forgotten these, and neither has Bishop. I, however, have trouble remembering what these mean. I have used a small drone, untraceable to the Kraang or Triceratons…I have observed April O'Neil and the Turtle called Raphael. They each display compassion towards each other after exchanges of anger. I have witnessed the exchanges between the other Turtles and their other allies. One such example is Donatello and the brunette superhuman; Doggett is her surname. They display utmost love and compassion towards each other…what kind of love it is exactly, I have yet to determine._

 _Familial love. Romantic love. Almost all types of love, I have examined from these Turtles and their allies. They make their bonds even stronger. Perhaps they will be able to withstand the Triceratons and defeat the Kraang once and for all._

 _I envy them._

A metallic finger pressed a button to call back the drone before suspicions were raised. The observer at the keyboard went to close her log and mull over what she witnessed now and for the past month. With the Triceraton threat looming and the search for that imbecile Zog growing frustrating, she knew that she, her father, and Bishop wouldn't be enough. The Turtles and their family would be their only hope. Their bonds held strong, so that had to make them physically strong as well.

Taking a seat in a metallic chair, the observer stared at the blank screen, awaiting her father's return, and pondered one question…

Would love and bonds be their strength…or would love and bonds be their downfall?

* * *

 **Hope this one wasn't too choppy. Next will be some Leo and Donnie bonding, and it's going to start sweet and then get really sad. After that will be April bonding with the superhuman ladies, a drabble dedicated to Karai, and other drabbles taking place after the events of Turtle Dove. So, stay tuned!**


	11. Heal

**Author's Note: Well, I've got another drabble up quicker than usual! This one contains some Leo and Donnie bonding and, as I stated before, with a twist. Now I hope I haven't made Leo out-of-character when dealing with his injuries up in Northampton. I just figured the fight with the Creep made his injuries worse and he's feeling increasingly frustrated that he's not healing fast enough. That in-turn frustrates Donnie when his brother does things that are, well, stupid. Don't worry, though, it's all good...but I shouldn't speak too soon. Anyway, read and review!**

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Drabble 11: Heal

Donatello woke with a start when a thud in the hallway reached his ears. Ending his nap for the day, he jumped out of his designated room and went to find the source of the noise. Mikey dropping something? Probably not. Raph and Casey rough-housing? Not loud enough for it. April momentarily losing control of her powers? There would be more destruction. That only left one obvious and very frustrating culprit…

"Again, Leo? Are we seriously doing this **again**?"

Leonardo lay kneeling in the hallway, teeth gritting in pain and letting out ragged breaths. Donnie's auburn eyes darted to his brother's still-swollen knee and lack of crutch anywhere in sight. The genius turtle wanted to scream; this was the fourth time this week his brother pulled this stunt. He'd try to sneak out of his room and go downstairs without the aid of his crutch, impeding his recovery all the way to prove something to them. What, he didn't know…but this finally got to outrageous levels of ridiculous and he had to stop it.

"Come on, Leo. Back to your room." Donnie grunted as he helped his eldest brother to his feet.

Despite his brother helping him, Leo tried in vain to shrug him off and stand on his own. "Donnie, I'm fine. I just tripped."

"No, it was you putting too much pressure on your knee and collapsing in pain." Donnie argued in a biting tone, "If you tripped, you'd be flat on your plastron, not just on your knees."

"I said I'm _fine_ , Donnie." The blue-masked turtle growled, still fighting his brother's hold.

The purple-masked turtle chose to simply ignore his brother's protests and lead him back to his room. Once they entered the room, Donnie found one piece of the puzzle: the crutch laying haphazardly on the floor near the wall, as though someone carelessly tossed it over there. Shaking his head, Donnie walked Leo to the bed and unceremoniously plopped him back on the quilt and mattress, careful not to agitate his damaged knee. Leo didn't look amused, but Donnie didn't care at this point. As much as he knew his brother needed support, he wouldn't sugarcoat things like Raph and Mikey did.

"I don't know why you want to be difficult, but since you've irritated your knee, you're getting a dose of medicine." The genius turtle huffed as he went for the first-aid bag in the bathroom two doors down. "Don't move."

Leo, wishing to be defiant, tried to get off the bed again, but his knee offered protest. "I'm not taking any more of that-"

"Ibuprofen, Leo." Donnie interrupted, coming into the room with two red-orange tablets and a glass of water. "I disposed of that mutagenic medicine after dealing with the Creep. That way, you won't take giant swigs of it and puke up another mutant." A cross look from his brother made him correct himself, "It's not your fault, Leo; I should've given you clear instructions not to take massive doses of it. Of course, Raph just had to push you into starting training too soon-"

The blue-masked turtle swiped the tablets from his brother's hand and downed them with the glass of water in a swift gulp. Sitting the empty glass on the nightstand, Leo growled and replied, "Raph was just trying to help, and I need to get back to training as soon as possible."

"And damage your knee further? I don't think so." Donnie argued as he picked Leo's crutch off the floor and leaned it against the nightstand, ignoring the look of contempt Leo gave the object. "Raph pushing you into training was reckless enough, but I expect that from him and that impatient personality of his. You, however, aren't this reckless. Give me a good reason as to why you're walking around WITHOUT your crutch and impeding your recovery process!"

"I don't need a lecture, Donnie; that's my job. Second of all, I'm not so fragile that I'll break at any second, so stop treating me like I'm so helpless!" Leo retorted spitefully, "I don't need that stupid crutch; I did just fine against the Creep without it!"

That was the last straw. Slamming his hand on the nightstand, the genius turtle finally shouted, "What is WRONG with you, Leonardo!? I'm just trying to help you heal, and you're throwing it back in my face like it means nothing! Is this what you want!? Do you want to be crippled the rest of your life because you don't want me to fulfill my promise to you!? Why do you hate me helping you get better!?"

"I don't want you to think I'm useless, okay!?" Leo spat as his brain-mouth filter completely went away, leaving him to confess the motive behind his reckless actions, "I hate being seen with the crutch because it makes me…" He swallowed hard and concluded, "It makes me feel like you guys look down on me now. It makes me feel like I failed as a leader…that you guys will keep moving forward and I'll just hold you back."

Silence settled between the two, and Leo immediately wished he could take back what he said. Donnie, however, got tired of the silence and decided to speak.

"…Do you think that lowly of us to believe we look DOWN on you, Leo?" Donnie asked in a low voice. "Leo, you got the tar beaten out of you by _Shredder_ , and you think we think less of you for losing?" The blue-masked turtle opened his mouth to speak, but Donnie raised his hand and cut him off, "Leo, didn't we make a promise last week that we'd be there for each other as brothers? Didn't I swear to you that I'd help you heal? Are you seriously going to throw all that away because of your wounded pride?"

Leo kept his silence and hugged his good knee to his plastron wishing he could just disappear. Yeah, it was stupid to think the others thought of him as useless, but being reduced to a hobbling has-been didn't help matters, nor did seeing his brother turned into a plant or fighting a creature born from his _puke_ put him in a good mood. Yet Donnie was here doing his best to help him and fulfill their promise, and all he wanted to do was go 'oh woe is me' and act like a brat.

Donnie just wanted to help him heal.

"…I'm sorry, Donnie. I know I shouldn't be doing this to myself…but I just don't want to be useless. I don't want to be a-"

"Don't even call yourself a burden, Leo, because you're NOT." The genius turtle retorted, putting a firm hand on his brother's shoulder. "You may not be able to walk properly for a while, but that doesn't make you an invalid; it's not like Shredder paralyzed you. Listen, you'll heal in the right amount of time, but until then, stop pushing yourself to your breaking point. Then Shredder really will have won."

Leo gave a somber nod and an equally-somber smile, "…I know. But I'm alive…so he didn't win there. And I know I'll heal because I'm looking at the best physician in the world. Too bad you were saddled with a terrible patient."

Donnie rolled his eyes, "You flatter me, Leo. Should I tell Raph about yesterday where I carried you back to your room _bridal style_? I don't think he'll let you live that one down, dear brother."

"D-Don't breathe a word of that! I'll stay in bed and rest my leg the rest of the day; just don't tell him I had to be carried like that!"

The purple-masked turtle chuckled heartily and poked Leo in the snout with a cocky grin, "Fine, I won't tell him OR Casey…but don't expect me to not share it with April; she'd probably die from the cuteness of it. Okay, I won't tell as long as you promise to use your crutch until you're one-hundred-percent better."

The two exchanged laughs and had a long talk before Leo drifted to sleep an hour later.

* * *

Leo woke from memory lane with a start when he heard grunts and whines of pain below him. To his shock, the effects of the medication wore off and sent Donnie back into an agonizing fit. Since he was the only one in the room with him, he would be doing the honor of administering it through his IV. Unfortunately, the person most qualified to do it was gone and refused to answer their calls for the past three days, and they were already barely trained on administering this kind of stuff. Donnie's continued cries pushed aside Leo's anger towards the brunette and made him focus on helping his brother.

The lead turtle plucked an unused syringe amongst other medical supplies and a bottle of morphine; he'd thank her for at least providing them this. He had to remember the brief lessons she gave them: the correct dosage, get rid of air bubbles, etcetera. Leo pulled the correct amount of morphine into the syringe and gently flicked it a few times, getting rid of any air bubbles that could harm his brother. If SHE cared at all, she would be here giving him the care he needed and not leave it to a group of unqualified brothers who never bothered to pay attention to-

Donnie cried out once again, louder, and Leo wasted no time in injecting the morphine into his brother's IV just to make the wailing stop. Leo knew pain, but he never had an open wound in his plastron like Donnie did…and his brother being alive was thanks to her and some sort of miracle. Just thinking of her again made Leo dispose of the needle with a hard toss in a makeshift sharps container. What did Donnie do to her to make her refuse calls and avoid the lair? Why did she have to punish Donnie for something he didn't do? Why did Mikey and April-Karai even-still want her to come back? Someone who would abandon them like that didn't deserve kindness. It hurt even more knowing she left AFTER Donnie told her those three powerful words.

 _I love you._

"Shh, shh, shh…" Leo hushed his pained brother and rubbed his warm forehead. When Donnie's cries faded into hoarse murmurs, he felt a small wave of relief wash over him. "Calm down, Donnie…it'll stop hurting soon. Just give it a moment, everything'll be okay."

Until…

"…Ch…" Donnie murmured, eyes half-closed and breaths ragged as he turned his head towards the door. "…C-Cheyloe…wh-where…" Looking at it longer made his resolve stronger, apparently, "...W-Where...is...Cheyloe?"

Leo's fists tightened in anger. Even in excruciating pain, even when he was kept waiting with no results, he still wanted her and expected her to burst through the door? Like nothing happened whatsoever? No, no…don't let the anger show in front of Donnie. If she dared show up, he'd exchange words with her, but not in front of Donnie. Not while he was in this shape. Not while he had a gaping gash in his plastron thanks to that overgrown lizard Mozar. At least Cheyloe killed him as thanks. But that wouldn't soothe the leader's anger, not until she groveled at his feet and accepted responsibility for abandoning Donnie. Until then…he would be the one to treat the wounds, both physical and emotional.

"…You helped me heal in Northampton, Donnie." Leo muttered as he watched his brother slowly fall asleep, adding in a firm, "Now let me help you heal."

 _You don't need Cheyloe. I'm right here._

Leo kept that thought to himself for Donnie's sake.

 **Isn't it nice that Leo's protective of Donnie after he's injured by Mozar? I know he sounds unreasonably angry at Chey, but he's justified in it; she would even say his anger is justified until he drags it out. If you've been keeping up with the main story, that gets resolved. But since Donnie took care of Leo up at Northampton, Leo returns the favor as a thank-you. Next will be April bonding with the superhuman ladies, followed by a journal entry from Karai, and even more! Stay tuned!**


	12. Tales from Apartment 4C

**Author's Note: Welcome to another installment of Turtle Dove Tidbits! Nothing major here, just April spending some time with the superhuman ladies. This is of course when April moves in with them after Kirby joins the anti-mutant movement. Expect April getting her emotions sorted, having a lapse in power-control, and being embarrassed by suspicions of a crush. So, read and review!**

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Drabble 12: Tales from Apartment 4C

"Hey, that's MY Red Bull!"

"Those energy drinks are poison! Why is a simple cup of coffee not enough!?"

"Shaddup over there an' lemme fry these eggs!"

April sat quietly at the table and listened to the argument going on between Cheyloe, Anna, and Kaitlyn. While someone who'd only been there for maybe a few hours would find this unnerving, she'd been here for a few days, so she was used to it now. It wasn't like they argued every single minute. Plus, they didn't put on an act to show they were perfect; they were displaying themselves as if April lived with them since day one. Still, their arguing could wait because her stomach threatened to claw its way out of her body.

"Uh, guys?" April chimed in, holding her finger up, "Shouldn't someone check on the croissants?"

The argument stopped and Kaitlyn immediately shoved a mitt on and opened the stove. She breathed a sigh of relief when the pastries in question were the desired golden-brown hue; no burns in sight. With that out of the way, she went back to frying a pan-full of eggs, and she wouldn't let the others do it for good reason: Chey would fry the eggs into dry husks, Anna would practically leave them salmonella-laced sludge, and April was the guest. April learned that very well when Kaitlyn kindly insisted she'd cook while yelling at the others to stay away from the stove.

That was only one of the many things April learned about her friends while staying here. She learned that Cheyloe would go to the balcony and paint pictures to clear her head; one picture was obviously of Donnie. She learned Anna looked frightening with a head full of hair rollers and a mud mask in the nighttime hallways. She learned Kaitlyn would always go to the balcony to smoke before turning in for the night. All three of them would have a night that they played Scrabble or Monopoly, and they invited her to play too. Or they'd let her join in watching a scary movie or romantic comedy. Yet she couldn't help but feel like, well, a burden. They told her she could stay as long as she wished, but would they get tired of her?

"April, sweetie, breakfast is ready." Anna calmly called.

The redhead snapped out of her thoughts and hastily joined the others in filling their plates. The food smelled delicious, but she didn't actually have an appetite. Not wanting to seem rude, she'd just wolf it down like she did every day. But as she cut up an egg and lifted it to her mouth, she froze at the eyes upon her. The superhumans stared at her, not at her food or even her open mouth, just her.

"What?" April asked as she lost her last thread of patience, "What're you looking at? Why are you three just staring at me?"

No answer. That made her slam her hand on the table and nearly tip over her orange juice. "What, do I have something on my face? Are you too afraid to say something? Just say something!"

"…April." Chey spoke first, undaunted by the redhead's outburst, "Your dad's decision isn't your fault. I know you've been mulling over that since you came here. You've not wanted to talk about it, but keeping it in isn't helping."

"Like you keep it in about Donnie and Embry?"

Seeing the brunette's expression crumble made April regret her choice of words, especially since Chey still felt guilty for Donnie's near-death experience. Here these three women were, taking her into their home and providing her comfort, and she repays them by lashing out over her father's betrayal. What kind of friend was she? Remembering Raph's pleas from that night on the rooftop, the redhead sighed and held her hands to her chest, "Chey, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean it…I'm just-"

"I know, April." The way Chey said it didn't give April much reassurance, "You're just frustrated. It's no big deal-"

Seeing Chey plaster on that fake smile made April panic and argue, "No, it IS a big deal! The three of you have done so much for me since my dad joined the anti-mutant movement. You've taken me in, fed me, gave me a place to sleep, and I've just acted ungrateful and said hurtful things to all of you. If you need me to stay at the lair, then I'll-"

"No, April!" Anna shot up from her seat and halted her before she started rambling. The young woman in hair rollers sighed and sat back down to calmly add, "True, you've said harsh things to us out of anger, but you're owning up to it and that's what we want. Furthermore, don't even suggest we don't want you here. Even with your mood, we've enjoyed having you here and just want to make sure you get what you need…physically AND emotionally."

"Don't sweat it, Ape. Ya have a justifiable reason t' be in a mood." Kaitlyn added her two cents in, "Now eat yer eggs, they're gettin' cold! I didn't slave over a hot stove for nothin'!"

April still didn't feel like they were that passive over her behavior. While it was true she was justified in acting angry, that didn't mean she needed to be angry and take it out on her friends. After all, they were stressed out too from Donnie's injuries and Farrah Rosenberg starting this anti-mutant movement…so how come they acted like nothing was wrong? She didn't realize they chose not to let everything going on consume them; they chose to have a good attitude at home and save the drama for the enemy. It reminded her a lot of how Mikey looked at things…

"Cheyloe, I should show you the design I have for a vest Donatello could wear. The fabric I found can keep his torso warm and protect his bandages from dirt and debris." Anna mused through a delicate sip of orange juice.

Chey grinned and replied, "He'd love that. You know, we should bring him over before long so he doesn't get stir-crazy."

Kaitlyn once again checked to see if April ate her food, then she added in, "Mikey's due for another cookin' lesson. I saw 'em all eatin' that instant crap; they need REAL food right now! Feed 'em all meat an' veggies so they can get back up an' fight!"

Anna turned to April and asked, "April, once all this is over, we'll keep helping you look for a college nearby. Unless, of course, you're wanting to travel out-of-state."

The redhead found herself feverishly shaking her head and replying, "Even with everything that happened here, I don't think I could ever leave New York. I couldn't leave behind the Turtles, Master Splinter, or Casey, or even Karai, and I certainly couldn't leave you three behind. I mean, I feel like my life's had more meaning since I met all of you."

 _I'd miss all of them…especially the guys. What would they do if I was gone? What would Raph do if I was gone?_

Anna suddenly perked up, and April watched a giddy smile appear on her face. "Aww, April, why didn't you tell us you liked Raphael that much?"

"W-What!?" April blushed and shrieked, "W-What gave you that idea!?"

"It looks like we need to work on your telepathy. Not only can you read thoughts, but you can also project your thoughts out…though it takes someone such as myself to pick it up."

Kaitlyn suddenly started making kissy faces. "Raph an' April, sittin' in a tree!"

"Cut it out, you two!" Chey scolded through a mouthful of eggs, "If she has a crush on Raph, don't bug her about it! And I thought Donnie's brothers were bad when he crushed on her…"

"Oh, there is nothing wrong with having a crush; it's just a little innocent teasing!" Anna defended. She reached a well-manicured hand over to pat April's and spoke quietly, "We mean no harm, April…it's just so exciting to see you having feelings for someone!"

Snorting, Kaitlyn rolled her eyes and muttered, "First Donnie's head-over-heels wit' Chey, now this. Love an' war, indeed."

April's blush grew redder and she buried her face in her hands. This was why she was glad to be an only child. Although they meant well, talking to her about what they assumed was a crush-even she didn't know if it was a crush or not-made her want to start living in a cave. At least Karai wasn't here to add fuel to the fire…or Raph, lest he be embarrassed too.

"All right, that's enough, guys." Chey commanded in a low tone, "Now come on, leave her alone and let's talk about something else. Like…how about once all this is over, we all go get our nails and hair done? Or go to a movie? Just a girl's night out, right?"

That prompted April to look up, blush gone, and put on a wry smile, "Will Karai get her nails done, too? Maybe give her a full-blown manicure?"

"You act like you want to torture her, April." Chey deadpanned, "I'm sure she got body treatments all the time in the Foot. I mean, how else could she have all that eye makeup?"

"Ooh, we should go and get new clothes, too! April, you would look fabulous in something sunburst-yellow!" Anna chirped gleefully.

"Once we kick Farrah an' Shredder's asses, I'm cookin' th' biggest meal you can ever eat. Save all th' beauty an' girly stuff for later an' just pig out!" Kaitlyn teased, punching April in the shoulder.

While April winced at the lighthearted blow, she went back to listening to the conversation unfolding amongst the superhumans once again. This time, however, she had a genuine smile on her lips. It was nice to just have a much-needed dose of girl-talk, even if the girls in question unintentionally embarrassed her at times. Karai could join in too, once she fully warmed up to her. She couldn't have talks like this since she lost her mother and found out Irma was a fake…but this more than made up for what she missed out on. And maybe, just maybe…they could help her sort out how she felt about Raphael.

But first, she stole the last croissant before the others could grab it.

"April!"

The redhead winked and bit into the pastry and chuckled, "What? You three were too busy gabbing about me. A kunoichi always finds an opening to get the prize, right?"

* * *

 **And that concludes this drabble! I've actually thought about making a spin-off to Turtle Dove centering around Raph and April and their growing relationship, but it may end up being a series of drabbles or a full-blown story. Still deciding on what it'll be. Anyway, next will be Karai's journal entry, Leo learning more about our mechanical friend Andromeda, a visit from the 1987 Turtles, and either a tribute to Good Genes or a kidnapping story. As always, stay tuned!**


	13. Journal Entry: Karai

**Author's Note: Here's another drabble to suit your literary needs! This one's shorter compared to the others, but I think you'll still be interested. Here we have a Karai-centric drabble right after the Mutanimals are captured by Shredder and Farrah. As she faces the consequences of the evening and continues to adapt to her new life, she's determined to leave her life as Shredder's daughter behind. Read and review!**

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Drabble 13: Journal Entry: Karai

With a stick of lotus incense lit, the dojo became engulfed in thin smoke. Being on the floor helped to avoid any risk of smoke inhalation, however. That didn't give the kunoichi in question any reassurance, nor did the properties associated with the lotus scent.

Karai couldn't clear her head. A voice in her head wouldn't stop reminding her of how much she failed tonight, and she couldn't shake the guilt building up inside her. After all, it was because of her that the Mutanimals were at Shredder and Farrah's mercy. Even though everyone outside the dojo saved their fury for Donatello-because he decided to break into Foot Headquarters before he healed-it was her idea to bring the Mutanimals to the building and attempt a rescue. They needed to yell at her too, not just Donnie. It wouldn't do much good now. After all, the ones who needed anger directed at them were Shredder and Farrah Rosenberg.

She knew the only reason Shredder would ever dream of teaming up with that woman would be to get to her. He was desperate for any means to scare her back into his grip. That was why Casey Jones ended up kidnapped and stabbed in the stomach by Shredder. If it wasn't for her, he'd be dead on the ocean floor right now. The hockey punk was still in the hospital, but at least none of them knew he was alive. Still…he wouldn't be hurt if it wasn't for Shredder's obsession with her.

"Miwa."

Hesitating at first, Karai looked up and found her father entering the dojo. The look on the rat's face was hard for the kunoichi to read, but his eyes were another story. She saw the frustration, pity, worry, and fear swirling around like a growing maelstrom, and knew all of it concerned Donatello. She heard the exchange in the lab; everyone but Raphael expressed forgiveness. With that mutant called Slash, Raph's former pet, in Shredder's hold, she couldn't blame him for being angry.

"Father, don't just put your anger upon Donatello." Karai pleaded quietly, "I led the Mutanimals to Shredder's lair, so it's my fault they were captured. Donatello shouldn't have broken into his lair, but he was just frustrated…and I wouldn't blame him."

Splinter sighed and knelt in front of his daughter, ignoring the tendrils of incense smoke burning his nose. "Donatello is remorseful for his actions, as are you. Because both of you owned up to your parts, I am not angry…but that doesn't mean you will escape any punishment, my daughter."

Karai visibly flinched, catching the rat's attention. He didn't know what 'punishment' meant when she was on Shredder's side. Shredder's ideas of punishment ranged from forcing her to kill a beloved pet to endure what was essentially a beating and being forbidden from protecting herself. The worst of it came when Shredder, when she decided to be defiant with him, blatantly told her to her face that her mother 'killed herself because she was saddled with her for a daughter'. Then later on learning that Shredder himself killed her mother brought that comment back to memory. Instead of being fueled by deep hurt, she fueled herself with vengeful rage.

But what did Splinter do for punishments?

"Donatello shall receive randori once he heals, and he is forbidden from working in his lab for a month. As for you, Miwa…" Splinter stroked his beard in deep thought before replying swiftly, "You will join me in meditation every day, have an extra hour of training each day, and you are forbidden from attempting to engage in reckless revenge…that includes attempting to confront Saki alone."

…That's it? That was the punishment? No yelling at her or hitting her? "I-I don't understand." She spoke hesitantly, mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish, "Why aren't you angry? Why are you being-"

"I take it you received harsh punishments from him." Splinter concluded, ears drooping in saddening realization from his daughter's sudden shock. He didn't know exactly what Shredder did to her when she stepped out of line, but her reaction alone told him that he must have put her through Hell. "Rest assured…you will not suffer any abuse at my hands. I may be strict in my discipline, but I do not let my anger cloud my judgment. I give my discipline out of love for my children…ALL of them. Saki will NEVER put his hands on you again."

The kunoichi's lips quivered, but she refused to cry even in front of her father. Splinter was kind, unlike Shredder, but it would still be hard to break away from the fear that she would slip up and make him angry enough to strike. Besides, what good would tears do right now? They wouldn't free the Mutanimals or heal Donatello.

"It's just hard…having to make yourself realize that your actual family won't try to harm you or scare you into obedience." Karai confessed softly, keeping her eyes glued to the floor in shame, "I don't know if Shredder actually loved me…but I know I'm loved here. I'm…so relieved you're my father and not him."

"You never have to be afraid to let yourself be vulnerable to us, Miwa. Allow the walls you have up to come down. But if you do not feel comfortable with talking to me about your problems just yet…"

Splinter went into his room and rummaged through an old bamboo chest he kept many mementos in. He found what he needed buried at the bottom, and pulled it out for Karai to see. He came out of the room and handed her what looked like an old notebook, yet the pages inside were unused. He smile at his daughter's surprise when he handed her the notebook. "I wanted to use this as a journal for a long time, but never did. I believe it will be in better hands with you."

Turning to head out of the dojo and talk to Donatello, the rat added, "Before you meditate, I suggest you write down your inner thoughts to help you determine where to start."

Karai now found herself alone with the notebook. She wasn't the type to jot down her innermost thoughts inside a diary or whatever was in reach. However, it didn't hurt to have a change in habits, especially if it meant she could change the worst parts of her and clear her mind. When she opened it up, she found a pen rolling out onto the carpet near her foot. Whether or not the ink was dry didn't matter. If this helped, then she would do it. With a quiet sigh, the kunoichi clicked the pen to life and began scribbling onto the old paper.

 _I've been thinking over many things since I learned the truth of my heritage. I've also been in denial of many things…including that my true family actually loves me for me and not for my mother._

 _Splinter…Father…I see the look in his eyes when he looks at me. There's no intimidation or frustration…there's just love. Every time he looks at me or the Turtles or April, his eyes brighten up; he still has hope after everything because we're here. Shredder always taught me that hope was for the weak-minded, that it was a concept to delude yourself of inevitable demise. The only ones that could make it in this world were the ones who could crush hope. One thing I learned about the Hamato Clan, however, is that no matter how many times you break them down, they never lose hope. Most of all, they never stop being a family._

 _I've come to terms with who my family really is. I've even come to terms with my mutation. One thing I haven't come to terms with is how Shredder still deludes himself into thinking he's destroying the world out of love. Did he actually love my mother? Or did he just want her to spite Father? To use her as a means to one-up him? Did he even love ME, or did he view me the same? A trophy to use against the man he blamed for his own problems? I may never know the truth because he believes his own lies so much he can't even know what reality is anymore._

 _Part of me believes that while he loved me because my mother was Tang Shen…he also hated me because my father is Hamato Yoshi. It must be tiring to love and hate someone at the same time. Since I learned the truth, I've wanted nothing more than to feel Shredder's blood between my fingers as I take his life. After hearing Father's words, I now know this: killing Shredder won't bring my mother back. It won't take away the pain I've endured over the years. Killing him would make me just as bad as him. If killing him isn't the type of revenge I should choose, then maybe an even better revenge will work against him._

 _The best revenge would be denying him and denying the false love he had for me and for my mother. It would be accepting my father and my brothers. It would be becoming the very thing he hated: a Hamato._

 _From this night forward, I am no longer Oroku Karai._

 _I am Hamato Miwa._

 _Oroku Saki will never take my true identity from me again._

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 **In Karai's mind, she believes that becoming Miwa is the best way to spite Shredder...and she's right. That's why at the end of the story everyone calls her Miwa instead of Karai; she believes that going by the name Karai keeps her linked to the man who killed her mother. That's just how I see it. Anyway, the next few drabbles will involve the Turtles, April, and Karai undergoing a new form of training to better themselves against Shredder and Farrah, but will this new training be too much for them to handle? After those, expect more Cheytello and Raphril drabbles as well as more journal entries! Do stay tuned!**


	14. I'll Face Myself, Part 1

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I certainly hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and stayed safe during shopping days. I'm back with another drabble! Now this one is going to be either a two-parter or three-parter; I'll just see how much I can add. These are heavily influenced by one of my favorite video game series, the Persona series. The Turtles, April, and Karai undergo a new kind of training involving facing their inner demons, but this training may prove to be the end of them unless they're willing to own up to these demons. Will they make it? Well, just read on and find out! Reviews are welcome!**

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Drabble 14: I'll Face Myself, Part 1

"The six of you must be wondering why I've called you here."

The Turtles, April, and Karai sat in front of Master Splinter and indeed wonder why they were here. Training wasn't for another few hours, and Donnie still couldn't do anything that could damage his wound. Whatever it was, for Donnie to be included, it had to be important. Too bad Casey wasn't called over, but Cheyloe told them she'd visit while they stayed for training. Now with the six of them assembled, the rat nodded quickly and decided to get to the matter at hand.

"Very soon, we will be facing very powerful foes who have the entire city on their side. I've noticed since Donatello's injuries in the Triceraton invasion, your individual strengths and strength as a team have…faltered." The emphasis he put on the word 'faltered' made the six visibly cringe, something he expected fully. He couldn't glide over the truth as much as he wanted to, so he continued, "While this sounds harsh, I offer a solution, but only if you choose to accept it."

Donnie was the first to show skepticism when he asked, "And…exactly what kind of solution are you talking about, Sensei?"

Splinter suddenly sat in the classic Lotus position in front of them as he replied, "This solution will involve meditation. However, it will not be like the meditation you are used to…this meditation will take you deep inside yourselves. Deep within your minds and hearts."

"So this isn't just about clearing our heads?" Leo inquired, feeling somewhat uneasy by the vagueness of their father's description of their new challenge, "How exactly will this help us?"

"In order to build strength in a team, each member must strive towards bettering themselves and building their individual strength. If you cannot function as one person, trying to function as a team will only bring devastation." Splinter explained, eyes narrowed and whiskers twitching at his sons' skepticism. It was expected, however. "Your bond has been fractured by everything happening…I do not want this family to remain broken."

Splinter wasn't lying. Even though they did the best to stay strong in this situation, one thing happening after another had them near breaking. Donnie's near-death experience, Cheyloe going AWOL, Kirby's betrayal, Casey in the hospital, the Mutanimals being captured…why they hadn't already broke, they couldn't say. Having the Mutanimals locked up and Donnie almost infected with a brain worm could've been the final straw, yet they were intact mentally…at least they thought so. All of them would fully admit that they never fully recovered from these things, especially not having to watch Donnie die and come back to life.

If this special training the rat offered them would help the recovery process, so be it.

"Okay Sensei, we'll bite." Raph answered confidently. "So, how do we do this?"

The group watched the rat go to the side of the room where a teapot sat steaming on a portable heater. Splinter often used that pot to brew enough tea for two people, usually Leo and now Karai accompanying him. Sometimes, Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and April would have a private talk with him between tea, no matter the taste. Now they watched him put away the familiar large cups and bring six unfamiliar small cups out of an old box. Six cups filled with odd-smelling tea placed in their waiting hands a moment later, and they curled their noses at the scent, almost like a mix of foul herbs.

"Uh, what kind of tea is this, Sensei?" Mikey asked uncertainly.

Splinter gave a small smile and replied, "It is a special sort of tea passed down through my family to aid with this sort of meditation. It places you into a deep trance so you can journey within yourselves and face your deepest struggles, though you may be lethargic after the effects wear off. My grandmother Hamato Mitsuko always called it 'Infini-Tea'."

Donnie blinked and quickly asked, "Sensei, are you giving us _drugs_?"

"The after-effects will give you that impression, but I am not giving you drugs, Donatello. It is more akin to the potions mentioned in your Mazes and Mutants game. Now…the six of you drink quickly."

With a moment of hesitation, the six finally tilted their heads back and quickly sipped up the strange 'Infini-Tea', choking back the urge to spit up the bitter, tongue-numbing liquid. Once consumed, six pairs of eyelids began drooping under the effects, and Donnie was the only one who could still make out Splinter's image and voice.

"Let me warn you, my children." He began sternly, voice echoing through their fading consciousness, "Once you submerge deep within yourselves, you must be ready to accept difficult truths. If you choose to deny them, you will be doomed to self-destruction."

Difficult truths? Doomed to self-destruction? What was he talking about?

Before any of them could ask why, darkness consumed them.

* * *

Donatello awoke to find himself in a purple-hued landscape. Several things in this landscape caught his eye: mathematical equations, stacks of books and flash drives everywhere, flasks filled with chemicals, mechanical equipment, and monitors. These were all objects that gave familiar resonance with him. They should have, of course, because they were all objects associated with his interests and personality. They all screamed Hamato Donatello. This was definitely what was deep within himself. His mind, maybe even his own soul, too.

"This is…this is my personal landscape." He spoke in awe, smiling at the things he loved surrounding him like a veil of comfort. "It's my personal oasis! My inner being! My, well, happy place!"

As much as he wanted to stand around and marvel at everything surrounding him, a sudden change stopped him. Amongst the monitors and surrounding pictures of himself and his family and friends…a collection of monitors on the ground oozed a black substance. Whatever this was, it contaminated the surrounding area, making the monitors cracked and some of the pictures look like everyone wailed in agony. Everything else looked so positive; why was this area negative? Then it hit him: everyone carried some sort of darkness inside of them, but what that darkness consisted of, he didn't want to say.

A sudden shift in the black substance caught his attention and made him step back. "What's going on?"

It started bubbling up, foaming and forming an amorphous shape, growing taller the more Donnie stepped away. To his surprise, it reached up to match his height, and its features grew more defined; arms and legs and a head formed. The mass stopped shapeshifting, and Donnie gasped at the resemblance of the creature to…

"Boo."

Donnie jumped back at hearing his own voice. However, this version of his voice was dark, echoing…demonic. The creature standing before him looked just like him, but sported skin tinged in shadow, and eyes glowing a pale yellow. What was this dark doppelganger doing inside his inner self? Unless…

"You're…me?"

The double chuckled and gave him a callous smirk. "Wow, it took you long enough to figure out the obvious. You've been losing your touch lately, _Donatello_. Of course, you've been losing a lot of things lately…your life, your allies…your usefulness to the team."

The purple-masked turtle narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "What're you talking about?"

"Has the genius finally become dense? Maybe losing so much blood from that wound finally gave you brain damage." The double taunted as it crept closer and got into Donnie's face. "You see the looks they give you…they think you're a useless burden. Heck, they can't stand to look at you because you got the Mutanimals captured!"

"Stop it." Donnie demanded.

But the double kept it coming, "If only those idiots knew how dead they'd be without you. You've got the means to stop Shredder and Farrah, but they don't want an injured weakling holding them back. Brains don't matter as much as muscle, right? That's why they make fun of you for having a useless _stick_ for a weapon. Leo blocks you out to keep his pride in check, Raph so jealous of you he tries to steal your joy, and Mikey's randomness saved the day more times than YOU did. Let's not forget about everyone else, too!"

"I said stop it!" Donnie shouted. "None of that's true!"

"Oh, but I'm not done. Let's not forget how sweet little Cheyloe _abandoned_ you because she wanted to save her own skin. You made her have flashbacks, so she bolts the first chance she gets and pretends you don't exist. It hurt, didn't it? You wanted to hate her, but you don't even have the guts to do that! Honestly, April didn't want you, so what could SHE possibly see in you!? She'll just end up tossing you to the side once you've outlived your usefulness just like everyone else has! That's what happens when you're the _weakest link_!"

Donnie clasped his hands over his head and shouted, "SHUT UP! None of that's true!"

The double suddenly shot forward and wrapped a hand around Donnie's throat. This lookalike had crushing strength and had him clawing at the hands choking the life out of him. Looking into the double's eyes, Donnie saw nothing but madness and…pain? This thing trying to kill him was in pain?

"It's no fun being the weak one; always being made fun of for not being the best ninja. Only being useful for the grey matter locked in that precious skull. Being seen as a _mistake_. I know all these things, Donatello…because I AM you."

"NO!" The genius turtle choked out in ragged breaths. "You're…not…"

Donnie's breathing turned labored as his eyes lost focus on his supposed double. He never encountered a creature like this, if the April clones in TCRI didn't count. Was it born from that strange tea Master Splinter gave him? Or did this creature exist for as long as Donatello did? Whatever the case, he had to figure things out fast, because this thing suddenly got a power boost and he was currently suffocating. That's when someone else decided they'd finally had enough of this.

"Donnie!"

The turtle in question turned his eyes to the familiar voice, and the double noisily growled. A third person appeared in Donnie's inner oasis, one who helped him on more than one occasion and was ready to help again. The young boy gave Donnie a worrying glance, frozen in place, before watching the double with a warning glare. As much as he wanted to help, Donnie needed to do this on his own…but that didn't mean he couldn't give him a little guidance.

"E-Embry…what…what are you doing here?" Donnie gasped out as the double's grip loosened slightly.

Embry didn't answer his question, instead telling him, "That thing's a part of you, Donnie. It's all your dark thoughts and insecurities put together…and Master Splinter knew you would face it." He finally took a step forward to add, "You have to accept what it says, Donnie…or it'll kill you. I know you don't want to admit it, but you did think that stuff, did you?"

Desperate, Donnie belted out, "Okay, okay, this thing's a part of me!"

"No, Donnie! You have to mean it! You have to really accept it; Chey always says don't say stuff if you don't mean it!"

So…this is what Master Splinter meant when he said they had to accept difficult truths. With several coughs forced out of his squeezed throat, Donnie hesitated before finally grimacing and confessing, "Okay…okay…you're right. I-I did think those things…a-and I still…I still think them, deep down."

That prompted the double to finally let go of his neck, and Donnie abruptly sat up and took in gulps of air. He could see Embry smile and nodding at him, urging him to keep going. Sighing and clearing his bruised throat, Donnie looked deep into his double's eyes and laid everything out. "I didn't want to accept those things because I regret ever thinking them. I don't have the physical strength my brothers have, and even though I make up for it with my intelligence, I still feel lesser to them…especially now. These thoughts got worse because of this stupid wound…and I wanted to hate Cheyloe for it and for leaving. But I could never hate her…you know that as well as I do. I could never hate her, or my family, or anyone else I care about. You know that everything I did for them was out of love, not some need for self-gratification."

The double's face softened, and Donnie finished with, "I denied you and caused you pain, didn't I? I'm sorry for that. I want more than anything to be a full strength so I can right my wrongs…and I'll start with accepting that you're a part of me. Negative, positive, it doesn't matter…you've got a place here. You're…me."

The shadow of Donatello stared quietly at him, giving a passing glance at Embry, until a smile ghosted its face and it replied, "…Took you long enough, huh?"

With that one sentence, the shadow walked to Donnie and seemingly melded with him. The latter shivered at the feeling until he regained his composure and turned to the more-than-relieved Embry. "H-How'd you get here, Embry?"

"I told you, Donnie…I'm always here whenever you need me." The boy suddenly looked to the distance when he could feel distress from the outside, and he knew Donnie could pick up on it, too. "I'm glad you were able to accept it, Donnie…but the others are having trouble. I don't think you'll get punished for talking to them, will you?"

Donnie closed his eyes, focusing his attention on the others and his desire to find them, and confidently replied, "Not if it means keeping them alive."

* * *

"Stop! None of that's true!"

Leonardo felt a blade swipe at his cheek, though no blood came due to his inner oasis' influence. Just a few moments ago, he enjoyed being surrounded by his beloved swords and numerous Space Heroes memorabilia when this creature-one that looked just like him-suddenly came forth and attacked him. Not only that, but it kept spouting accusations that were surely untrue; Leo was the only one to know them, however. Telling him that he thought he was the only one worthy of being a ninja, or that he put his brothers in danger to mimic Captain Ryan, or that he exaggerated his knee injury for pity. The accusations got much more biting, and now he sat on the floor both from the blade impact and the lookalike skulking forward.

"That's right…keep denying me, Leonardo." The shadow of Leo sneered. "I'm just speaking the truth. You care more about the so-called hero façade you try so hard to maintain. Putting yourself in danger and trying to be a savior, all so Master Splinter can give you a 'well done, son' and Karai will think you're cool. But your brothers get in the way, don't they? Why do you even call them brothers? They're just your personal soldiers, aren't they?"

"No they're not!" Leo spat through a shaking voice, "I don't think any of that at all!"

The other Leo chuckled darkly, "You told Donnie to try harder because not saving Karai damaged your pride, yet you were doing nothing. You fight with Raph all the time just so you can look better in front of Sensei and Raph turns into the 'bad seed'. You lecture Mikey so you can turn him into a carbon-copy of you. April and Casey are always told 'ninjas only' because you think they'll cramp your style. Then you try to scare Cheyloe off so you can play protective big brother, even if it was for your own benefit…even if it hurt your brother."

Leo feverishly shook his head, "S-Stop…"

"Aw, what's the matter, Leonardo? Can't handle the truth?" The double cooed, leaning into Leo's face and hissing, "Face it, you can't live out your Captain Ryan fantasy as long as your brothers hold you back. You and I both know…you see them as nothing but _dead weight_. I'm you, after all, so I would know."

"Y-You're not…"

"Leo!"

Leo and his double turned and saw transparent form of none-other than Donatello. For a moment, Leo thought he saw something standing behind Donnie's leg, something resembling a child, but passed it off in favor of asking, "Donnie!? H-How'd you-"

"Leo, I know you don't want to, but you have to accept what that double says! It's your shadow; it's voicing all your darkest thoughts and insecurities!" Donnie pleaded to his brother, "If you don't, you'll just end up destroying yourself!"

The blue-masked turtle shook his head in further denial. "No…Donnie, none of what it's saying is true! I would never think bad stuff like that!"

To his shock, Donnie gave him a sympathetic, saddened smile. "Trust me, Leo…I thought similar things. I didn't want to own up to it, either, but I had to. That's what Master Splinter wants us to do. In order to get stronger, we have to own up to our faults and insecurities."

Leo stared into the dully-glowing yellow eyes of his double. The proud leader in him told him to keep denying the perceived faults and insecurities, lest his brothers mock him for being vulnerable. Hearing Donnie admit he thought dark things about them, however, offered cold comfort. If Master Splinter had to do this challenge long ago, that meant he also had faults he had to own up to. Still, just having thought those things of his own family wasn't something easy to admit.

"…You're right." Leo confessed, "I did think those things. I was selfish, insecure, and so caught up in trying to be a hero that I thought terrible things of my friends and family. I'm so sorry that I ever thought those things, but I can't deny that I did. Whether I like it or not, you're part of me. All of this is me."

That made the double back off quick and sheathe his swords. With a solemn nod, it gave him a bow, helped him to his feet, and quietly merged with him. Leo checked himself over and turned his attention back to his brother.

"So this whole exercise it to face our personal demons?"

"More or less." Donnie shrugged. A scream from the outside halted any further conversation, and Donnie quickly realized who was in need now. "That was Raph! Leo, come on, we have to get to him!"

The blue-masked turtle didn't hesitate in following his purple-banded brother. It wouldn't be just Raph needing guidance; Mikey, April, and Karai would end up needing it too. They couldn't sense any trouble from them, however, at least not yet. Once they got to Raph, the three of them would ensure the others survived this training.

Needless to say, they preferred dealing with Shredder than dealing with their demons.

* * *

 **Enough action in this first one? If not, there will be in the next one or two! After that, we'll get a scene from right after Shredarrah is destroyed, have one influenced by the episode "The Power Inside Her", a visit from some 80's Turtles, and anything else you'd like to see. If you have requests for a scenario, feel free to leave them in the reviews or message me! Stay tuned!**


	15. I'll Face Myself, Part 2

**Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to another installment of Turtle Dove Tidbits! Now this is Part 2 of the 'I'll Face Myself' drabbles, and the focus here will be on Raph and Mikey's battles with themselves. I will warn you, this one's darker compared to the one with Donnie and Leo, especially in Raph's bit. There's even one bit that might make you a little squeamish. Other than that, this one should keep you on the edge of your seats! Reviews are welcome!**

* * *

Drabble 15: I'll Face Myself, Part 2

"Whoa, is this really Raph's, uh, inner oasis?"

"It's surrounded by punching bags, Foot Bot heads mounted on the wall, pictures of us…yeah, this is definitely Raph."

The objects Donnie listed were only the tip of the iceberg for Raphael's inner sanctum. Leo and Donnie managed to enter this place with a good amount of spiritual concentration and help from a certain spirit, but no sign of Raph yet. Amidst the punching bags and Foot Bot heads, they saw multiple family photos, some happy and others filled with anger, graffiti images beautifully done all over the landscape…and one of them was of a certain redhead reclining on a motorcycle. Donnie and Leo paused to stare at this image until the sound of sobs hit their ears.

"Is that Raph?" Leo asked quietly. "Is he crying?"

Donnie gulped and replied in a low tone, "It's either him…or it's his double. Only one way to find out."

The two bolted and almost tripped over piles of spray paint cans and motorcycle parts. They reached a darkened area resembling an abandoned alleyway and found exactly what they were looking for. Sure enough, there was Raph and his double…but it took them by surprise to see which one was crying.

"What's going on? The double is the one crying?" The purple-masked turtle asked, clearly surprised.

Leo said nothing, and he and Donnie decided to stand back and watch whatever exchange went on between the two. On one side was their Raphael, looking agitated and disturbed. On the other side was a Raphael with glowing amber eyes, sobbing his eyes out. For a split-second, Leo and Donnie couldn't figure out who was the double, but the glowing eyes and paled skin gave it away. If there was no danger right now, they wouldn't intervene; maybe Raph would do a better job of fighting it.

"You're really freakin' me out, you fake!" Raph spat in anger and confusion, "Quit that stupid cryin' over that stuff you're blubberin' about! Are ya high or somethin'!?"

The other Raph kept sobbing, meekly sputtering out, "I-I've always gotta be the tough guy. I-I'm not allowed to cry...I c-can't comfort anyone without somebody makin' fun of me. Th' guys just…l-laugh at me if I-I go soft. S-So I gotta be tough an' mean. I always have to say nasty things…just so I can show 'em that I'm tough."

"What're you talkin' about!?" The red-masked turtle demanded, hiding the panic rising within. "Speak in actual sentences!"

"I-I never told anyone why I was afraid of roaches." The double blabbered on pitifully as it ignored the original's tirade. "When we were just little tots…t-that was when Leo decided he would be Mr. Hilarious and hide a live roach in my algae and worms. I didn't realize it until I bit into it…just seeing it still wriggling around made me vomit all over the table. I cried…then he gave me that look; that's when I knew it was him and not Mikey. That's why I always fight with him…I don't want him to forget that he hurt me."

Donnie stared bewildered at Leo and asked, "That was YOU? I thought Mikey did that!"

Leo visibly grimaced, nodding his head in shame. "…I got mad at him over something stupid, so I thought putting a roach in his food was the perfect revenge. I didn't realize it'd scare him that much until Sensei punished me for it. I forgot about it for a while, but Raph never did."

Raph immediately froze. "H-How did you know that?"

"A-After anyone does somethin' mean to me, I just hold a grudge; I want 'em to suffer, even if they're family. Leo puts a roach in my food and belittles me, I fight with 'im and remind him how he's a bad leader. Mikey pulls a prank on me or makes fun of me, I tell 'im that he's too stupid to be on the team and how he'll end up gettin' us killed. Donnie acts like a know-it-all, I remind 'im how no human girl would ever want 'im 'cause he's a nerdy freak." The double started speaking clearly, its voice growing more ominous with each sentence. "I even wished April would lose 'er dad after she abandoned us and I wanted Karai's head on a platter for toyin' with us. But wait…speakin' of Donnie and April…"

"S-Shut up…"

"I didn't really tell 'im to give up on April 'cause I wanted to protect 'im. Oh, it was _far_ from it." The shadow continued as a sinister smirk crossed its tear-stained face. "He wasn't the only one gettin' a crush on 'er our first night on the surface. I just told 'im all that 'mutant and human's don't mix' bull 'cause once he backed off…I could have April all to _myself_. I really didn't care if Donnie got hurt; he never deserved someone as beautiful and tough like her."

"Shut up! I'd never do that to my own brother!" Raph roared. Instead of anger laced in his voice, however, there was absolute dread. "You're LYING!"

The double shook its head and drew out a pair of sai. "I'm just telling the truth, _me_. It's your fault you can't handle it…but go on and deny me again. I'll make it painless."

"None of that crap's true! You're anything but-"

"Raph, STOP!"

Raph broke out of his stunned stupor and found Leo and Donnie watching the exchange. How much did they hear? More importantly, HOW did they even get HERE? Wait, if they heard a lot, then that meant they heard the 'delicate' issues. Before he could demand answers from them, Leo was the first to speak.

"Raph…that thing is you, whether you like it or not." Leo began desperately. "It's your insecurities and thoughts you've regretted having. Raph…Raph, I remember that prank, and I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it, but I never should've done it. I want to do what I can to make it up to you; just don't feel like you have to hide why I hurt you or feel like you have to stoop down to that level, too!"

The red-masked turtle wanted to cry over Leo's apology and knew he spoke the truth, but when he saw Donnie he shook his head again. "T-This thing isn't me…it's not me!"

"Raph…I'm not mad at you. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of you liked her the way I did, too." Donnie explained calmly, too calmly for Raph's tastes. Before Raph could sputter any more denials, Donnie cut him off with a raised hand. "I stopped chasing after April, so if you two decide to have a relationship, you have my support. Your double forgot to add something, though; you weren't just telling me to give it up. You were telling yourself too, weren't you?"

Raphael had pure shock written on his face. The 'other' Raphael still had its sai ready to gouge the original with a lunge, but stopped midway when Raph gave a feeble nod of his head.

"Y-Yeah. I like her, too, and I backed off 'cause I didn't wanna hurt ya. But…I never believed that someone so amazing could ever love freaks like us." Raph somberly confessed, afraid to look his brother in the eye. "I wanted to swoop in, but I could never hurt ya like that. A-And I did think all those other things, too. I get so caught up in tryin' to prove I'm not weak that sometimes I don't care if I hurt any of ya. I don't wanna be like that…I'm so sorry."

Leo waved his hand and whispered, "Go on…speak to it."

With much hesitation, the red-masked turtle looked to his frozen double, staring into its soulless amber eyes, and gulped. "I…well, ya know that I have a hard time with this stuff. But…all that stuff ya said is true. I said things and did things that I want to make up for. You're a part of me, and I want us both to become better people. I…you're _me_."

The double absorbed the jumble of words as it slowly sheathed its sai and stared into Raph's eyes. It searched for any deception and dishonesty to excuse it to kill him, but found none. Satisfied, it nodded before walking up and calmly merging with Raph. The latter shivered, visibly creeped out by his double just fusing with him like it was nothing. He put that on the backburner for the time being to address Leo and Donnie.

"So this is what this whacked-out training's supposed to do? Make us face those shadowy clone-things?" He asked wearily.

"More like inner demons." Donnie corrected. "It's like Leo said: they're our insecurities and darkest thoughts in physical form. The more you deny them, the more they want to destroy you. Accepting them as a part of you is the only way to defeat them."

Raph suddenly paled. "Do Mikey, April, and Karai know about this!?"

"No, they don't." Donnie admitted. "I had to tell Leo and I got a clue from…Embry's spirit." It was then Donnie felt a slight chill, and he looked down at his leg to see the spirit in question hugging his leg and looking at him in worry. He saw the boy mouth a name, and he immediately gasped, "Mikey! We've got to get to him now!"

* * *

"W-Whoa, c'mon, clone-dude! T-Turn that frown upside-down!"

Michelangelo grinned weakly and waved his hand in front of the stone-face of a shadowy, amber-eyed Michelangelo. Just moments ago, he'd been enjoying pizza and herding a flock of Ice Cream Kitties when this lookalike appeared. The Ice Cream Kitties turned tail at the sight of it, but Mikey thought he could put a smile on its face. However, the creature kept staring at him with a cold, dead gaze. He kept up with his usually-infectious grin, but behind that grin was a growing sense of dread. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up! How 'bout we go over to the dance floor over there and have a break-dancing contest?" Mikey suggested in thinly-veiled desperation. "I gotta warn you, I'm really good!"

The double remained blank-faced, making Mikey cough nervously and figure out what to suggest next. However…

"That's just like you…always trying to force people to be happy and avoid the real issues."

The orange-masked turtle blinked and found his grin faltering. "What're you talking about, clone-dude?"

"And you always act so dumb. But you're not as dumb as you want people to think, are you?" The double sneered, shoving its face into Mikey's and glaring with glowing eyes. "You're not dumb, but you sure love pretending to be dumb so you can get away with stuff, don't you? If you actually took stuff seriously, they'd take you seriously, then you can kiss the special treatment from being the 'baby' goodbye."

Mikey's grin disappeared and he visibly gulped. "Uh, I-I never heard of this joke, but it's not really that funny…"

"A joke…" The double repeated. "That's what I am: a total joke. But it's my own fault. I always do the opposite of what I'm told, constantly break things, heck, I even create half of the monsters we have to fight!" For the first time, the double actually chuckled a dark, grating chuckle. "I usually mess around in Donnie's lab and he gets hurt sometimes, but I still blame him because I won't take any damn responsibility for my actions. When Raph hits me after I bug him too much, it's still his fault for being mad. Leo lecturing me is all his fault for having a stick up his ass instead of me acting like an idiot, right?"

"D-Dude, cut it out, I don't like this." Mikey begged quietly.

"Those douchebags don't know how to have fun! That's why I'm better than all of them!" The shadow cackled. "Pretty soon, we won't need Mr. Nerd because my magical powers of randomness make the retromutagen and brain-worm cures! I can beat Mr. Angry in pummeling Kraang and Foot, and I can curb-stomp Mr. Oh-So-Perfect in training when I don't hold back! I'll be the one leading the team, and that'll show them who's incompetent! They need me more than I need them!"

That made Mikey mad. "Hey, don't say that about my bros, you jerk! What gives you the right, anyway!?"

The double's laughter died down and it wiped at its eyes with a sigh. "Oh, whenever we're out in battle, I get so caught up in trying to prove a point that I'm willing to get my brothers hurt or get my friends mutated. I press random buttons on machines because I can, even if it blows us to ashes! Remember that time I told April how her dad mutated like it was no freakin' deal? Man, she overreacted! Being a freak is better than being a boring human any day!"

Mikey immediately stiffened. "W-What? H-How did you…"

"I always pick on 'em 'cause I wanna get a rise out of 'em. Even if I have to destroy something they care about or reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. I always get away with it because I'm the baby! They call me an idiot and a screw-up, but they're the one who screw up! I don't need them! They're the jokes, NOT ME!"

"Stop it!" Mikey covered his head with his hands and fought not to break down into sobs. "Stop saying that! I never thought those things!"

"Oh, but you did." The shadow sneered. A terrifying grin, where there was once lack of any emotion, spread on its face as it pulled out a pair of nunchaku and ejected the kurisagama blade. "You thought these things, Michelangelo…because I'm YOU!"

Right then came the forms of Leo, Donnie, and Raph from a mess of arcade machines. They could see the double readying itself to kill Mikey, while the latter crouched on the ground covering his ears in massive denial. This would definitely be a challenge; unless backed into a corner, Mikey wasn't the type to easily admit to his faults or mistakes. Would he do it if it meant staying alive? Surely, he couldn't be that stubborn. Well, considering the stuff they caught the double shouting, just the brutality of it would make Mikey shut down in denial. If there was one thing about him, it was that he hated admitting that he held resentment towards them.

"There's no way you're-"

"Mikey, don't say it!"

The sound of Donnie's voice forced the orange-masked turtle to open his tear-filled eyes, and at that moment he saw the faces of his older brothers. The sight of them gave him a feeling of comfort…but did they hear all the things that freaky clone spouted? That prompted him to squeeze his eyes shut again and cower down lower. "N-No, don't look at me! None of it's true!"

Raph gave a grunt and scolded, "Mikey, if ya don't want that thing to kill ya, tell the truth! Tell it an' mean it!"

"No!" Mikey refused, not seeing the double drawing closer with its weapon. "It's lying! I'd never think that about you guys!"

"Mikey, it's okay, really!" Leo pleaded, panicking internally as the shadow grew closer to Mikey with the intent to kill. "We've had to deal with similar issues; there's nothing wrong with admitting your faults and fears! Mikey, please!"

But Mikey shook his head once again. "No! No, no, no!"

Donnie finally had enough; as much as he loved his brother, Mikey had to stop his denial one way or another. The purple-masked turtle wasted no time in forcefully hoisting his brother to his feet…and harshly smacking him on the cheek. Donnie being the one slapping Mikey had everyone taken by surprise; even the double froze in awe. Holding his burning tear-stained cheek, Mikey only stared his brother in the eyes, confused and horrified by what he did. Donnie only took a deep breath and let go of his brother.

"Mikey, I know it hurts to accept it, but you have to if you want to keep living." Donnie lectured, his tone controlled and masking his irritation. "Listen, we had thoughts that were VERY bad, and we didn't want to accept them…but we had to. If we don't, we can't save our home if we can't even be balanced as individuals, let alone a team." He grabbed Mikey by the shoulders again, lowered his head to be at his level, and looked him deep in the eyes when he asked, "Now…is everything your double said true?"

Michelangelo only glanced away for a second before sniffling and burying his face in his brother's plastron. With the double watching, he finally confessed in pitiful sobs, "I-It's true! It's all true! I thought all that bad stuff about you guys whenever I got mad…a-and I still think it sometimes! Whenever you called me dumb or a screw-up, p-part of me wanted to…to make sure you guys screwed up! I-I'm so sorry…I'm sorry, bros!"

"Mikey, it's okay." Raph insisted as he put his arm around his brother. "We're all guilty of thinking bad stuff, like Donnie said. Just own up to it…that's what a certain someone told you a while back, right?"

"Now, don't you have something to say to yourself?" Leo asked, turning his baby brother around to face his calm double. "You can do it, Mikey."

The orange-masked turtle stared at his shadow, seeing its menacing grin gone and replaced with a stoic expression. He already hated having to admit his horrible thoughts to his brothers, but admitting it to himself seemed harder. But if Donnie, Leo, and Raph could do it, he could, too. "H-Hey dude…I'm sorry I called you a liar. Everything you said is true, and pretending you don't exist hurts you worse, doesn't it? W-When you called yourself a joke…I-I knew right away you're me. That's who you are, dude…me."

The other Michelangelo dropped its nunchaku and gave a warm smile, walking up to its original and silently merging with him. After a moment of wordlessly freaking out, Mikey felt himself be embraced by his brothers; Raph even gave him a small nudge on the shoulder. The affection from his brothers put him at ease, but overall, he was relieved that this was the end of it.

"Proud of ya, Mikester." Raph complimented, smirking slightly. "Ya faced your demons."

"It's not an easy thing to do…but I was confident you'd get through it." Donnie chimed in with swelling pride.

Leo patted his brother on the shoulder. "Even if it took Donnie smacking you to do it."

Mikey nodded slowly and calmly replied, "I can't believe you guys went through it, too. Makes me wonder how April and Karai are holding up." That's when he gasped, "Wait, if WE had to go through stuff like that, whaddya think they're going through right now!?"

* * *

 **And that's the end of Part 2. The final part will of course focus on April and Karai and their battles with themselves. I'll go on and say that they'll be a little more stubborn compared to Mikey and Raph. Will the Turtles be able to convince them to accept their inner demons? I also wanted to say that I envisioned Raph's roach fear coming from a prank from one of his brothers that goes too far, and that Raph also developed a small crush on April when they first went to the surface, but he kept it to himself out of respect for Donnie. I also hope Mikey's double wasn't too harsh with him. Anyway, after April and Karai's turn, expect a drabble dealing with the aftermath of Shredarrah's defeat and a visit from the 1987 Turtles, along with a couple of drabbles involving April's and Cheyloe's powers. Well, stay tuned!**


	16. I'll Face Myself, Part 3

**Author's Note: Whew, finally updated, and this has to be my longest drabble in this collection yet! Finally, we're concluding the special training of the Turtles, April, and Karai! I wanted to make something clear with this drabble and the two drabbles before it: this isn't a way for me to bash on any of the characters. I just did this as a what-if and wondered if what they've dealt with were actual insecurities. So please don't think I'm using this as an excuse to hate on any characters, because I don't hate the Turtles or April or Karai in any way.**

 **With that out of the way, read and review!**

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Drabble 16: I'll Face Myself, Part 3

 _"_ _Wait, if WE had to go through stuff like that, whaddya think they're going through right now!?"_

The Turtles only closed their eyes for a moment when they suddenly appeared in a different 'inner oasis'. What they didn't know was that they once again received assistance from the spirit of Embry Karnes. Mikey's sudden shout over April and Karai prompted them to arrive here, though at first they didn't know exactly whose oasis this belonged to. A few steps forward and it didn't take long for them to figure out the answer. The first clue was a row of lockers and scattered school posters. Further in, they found memorabilia resembling the setting of the Northampton farmhouse. Karai never came there, so that meant…

"…This is April's inner oasis."

Michelangelo turned at Donatello's remark and asked, "Whoa, really?"

"No, Karai went to high school and never told us-of course it's April's, Mikey!" Raphael chastised with a good smack to his brother's shoulder. His anger cooled quickly and his expression went somber when he stated, "Hey…look at those photos over there."

The others took notice of the photos Raph pointed out, strewn across an otherwise-bare yellow wall. The smaller ones, primarily consisting of April's childhood and her times with them, all surrounded a much-larger photo. This photo had April as a toddler and a Mr. O'Neil with a lot more hair…but the silhouette holding April appeared blackened and scratched-out. They saw a similar photo in Kurtzman's possession and at the farmhouse, and they knew who the third individual was supposed to be.

"April not having her mother still affects her…" Leo murmured softly. "But I don't know if this means her mother's fading from memory…or if she's blocking her mother out."

"Wait, ya don't think she resents her mother for disappearing, do ya?" The red-masked turtle asked in surprise.

Before Leo could answer back, all of them heard the sound of metal slicing metal. The unmistakable sound of someone battling more than one enemy. The Turtles suddenly bolted for the source of the noise in hopes it was their beloved friend. One thing the Turtles knew about April was that she was the most stubborn and fierce person in both personality and physical prowess. That would certainly help in a battle with the Kraang and Foot…but that could work against her in a battle against herself.

"April!"

Sure enough, there was April, swinging her tessen at a horde of Kraang droids attempting to grab her. Perhaps the Kraang more-or-less became a part of her; she was HALF-Kraang, after all. Come to think of it, they now noticed the scenery changing into a mix of the dojo…and a Kraang lab. April had no trouble taking them down, so the Turtles didn't feel a need to intervene. The tessen swung through the last Kraang droid, and they all disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a panting April staring hard at the ground. When she looked up…

"Guys?" She asked in a huff, "How'd you get here? I wish you came earlier and helped me with these things!"

"April!" Donnie shouted, "Have you seen-"

A slow clap made everyone freeze. When they turned to a Kraang tank with different weapons embedded in it from pure anger, a shadowy figure stepped out. A shadowy, amber-eyed figure that was a carbon-copy of April. The Turtles were partially relieved this thing finally showed up, but that didn't anything good for April; they paled at what she was about to experience.

"Wow, I'm impressed!" The demonically-laced voice of the other April congratulated, though everyone could hear the sarcasm oozing from it. "And you didn't rely on your oh-so-convenient psychic powers this time! You have to admit, though, if it weren't for them, you'd still be pathetic!"

The redhead gasped, narrowing her eyes at the double. "Who…what are you?"

The double ignored her obvious question with rolling eyes. "The Turtles didn't even have to rescue you this time, either. Shame…they don't give you that kind of attention much anymore, do they? You basked in the attention from getting rescued and playing the 'damsel in distress', but you didn't want them to know it."

April's eyes widened in disgust, prompting her to spit, "What? What makes you think I liked being a damsel in distress!? I'm not weak like that anymore!"

"Don't try to deny it, _April_." The double sneered viciously, "Isn't that why there was such a problem between you, Donnie, and Casey? Whenever they fought over you like two roosters fighting over a hen, you acted like they annoyed you with their puppy-love. But you actually enjoyed how much they fought over you, didn't they? You thought it was great that TWO guys would make fools out of themselves for a selfish brat like you!"

"Now wait just a minute!" April interjected, "I would never think that way of Donnie and Casey!"

The double shook its head and laughed, "But you did! And once they fought over you enough, you'd drop them both in the dirt! After all, giving them false hope and crushing it is the only thing you can control in your life anymore, isn't it? That's the ONLY thing you've ever gotten a say in!"

"That's not true!" April argued in a shrill tone, not noticing the double's eyes glowing brighter.

"Oh, I'm not done, Princess; I'm just getting started." The shadow snickered haughtily. "You've got such a holier-than-thou attitude, criticizing everyone else while balking at the idea of receiving criticism over your sloppy fighting skills or way of dealing with emotional junk. Can't take what you dish out, can you, just like that hothead Raphael? Daddy Dearest is always in a catatonic state, then up and sells you out to be with the 'normal' people, leaving you in the cold just like Mom did!" The creature suddenly narrowed its eyes at the word 'Mom'. "Ever thought that maybe Mom wasn't kidnapped by the Kraang? Maybe she left on her own because she didn't want a half-alien freak for a child!"

April shook her head, "Stop it!"

"No matter what you do, you'll always end up abandoned and alone! Mom and Dad abandon you because you're not normal, and if you're not careful, the Turtles will abandon you once you get too big for your britches! Splinter's not far from abandoning you, either; now that he's got his precious daughter back, he'll no longer see you as a special snowflake and toss you aside, then you'll be back to square one! A total outcast NOBODY wants because of WHAT you are!"

Now the redhead was on the verge of angry tears, bitterly denying, "No! No, stop it! I-I don't think that!"

The double suddenly drew out a tessen, grinning viciously. "Denial, denial, denial…that's all you do. You can't stand it when you're not the center of somebody's attention, yet you take advantage of it when you get it. The Turtles mean everything to you…you'll never loosen your _grip_ on them. Isn't that why you were so jealous of Little Miss Perfect Cheyloe? She stole Donnie's attention…and you resented her for it. But whatever, Princess." It raised the tessen to its face, leaving only its luminous eyes visible. "Now, let's see who's gonna be the last one standing…me."

"Fine!" April drew her tessen again, blinking back her tears. Tears would just give this fake ammo to keep calling her 'weak'. She would show no weakness to this creature. "I'll shove those lies down your throat!"

"No need for that, April."

Leonardo's voice halted April, leaving her confused. Why didn't they want her to take this fake down? It spouted lie after lie about her, and they just wanted her to do nothing? Did that mean they actually _believed_ the fake's fountain of false truths? "Leo-"

"April, there's an easier way to defeat it." Leo began, staring at the double still ready for the kill. "You have to accept that it's a part of you and mean it."

April's eyes widened. "What!? Accept that thing!? That thing is NO part of me!"

"Listen, April!" Raphael shouted, putting emphasis on 'listen'. "I know not havin' your mom around's been hard, but I don't think she'd ever walk out on ya because she didn't love ya. I don't think ya toyed with Donnie and Casey on purpose, either; that thing just wants to exaggerate your insecurities like ours did. But April…if ya don't admit your insecurities, it'll kill ya."

"But…" April showed hesitation, but lifted her weapon once again in defiance. "No…I won't do it! I'll just fight it!"

"April, it was hard for me to accept my junk!" Mikey stated, pleading with her to think rationally. "But I was able to do it! If we can accept our baggage, you can, too! Just please accept that you thought bad stuff, too!"

Now it was Donnie's turn to plead for her to be rational. "April…do you think we'd think less of you for admitting your insecurities? We're being honest with you…now be honest with yourself."

April still wanted to refuse, the classic O'Neil stubbornness keeping her rational thought out of the way. She didn't want to believe the guys, as part of her thought they only wanted her to confess to her darkest secrets for their own amusement. But they wouldn't do that to her, and she knew they were telling the truth. Whether she wanted to or not…she had to be a big girl and own up to her faults. That needed to start with looking her double in the eyes and spilling everything.

"You know what? You're…you're right, okay?" She finally broke down and let the words pour out of her mouth, relief slowly filling her spirit. "Ever since I found out I was half-Kraang, I felt more alone that I wanted to. For a while, I DID believe Mom left because she was embarrassed of me…and I even admit that I didn't do much to stop Donnie and Casey's bickering because I DID like some of the attention, positive or negative. Mom was never there to help me with that kind of situation or others…so I resented her for being gone."

The double's face softened, prompting April to continue. "When I left you guys after my dad mutated, I felt like it was what I deserved…to be alone. Mom, Dad, you guys…no matter who it was, they either left me alone or I pushed them away. So whenever I got attention…I either basked in it too much, or I tried everything I could to push it away to avoid getting hurt. But that's not how I have to face things. No more denying my problems, no more hurting people…no more lying to myself."

With one look at her double, she spoke the magic words. "You're me…you've ALWAYS been a part of me."

That had a profound impact on the double. Instead of the condescending smirks and sneers decorating its face, only a somber smile presented itself as it merged with her at last. April found herself with a huge weight off her shoulders, even when her friends just learned some of her darkest secrets. They having faced similar experiences gave her reassurance, but just the thought of them enduring this made her feel guilty for feeling reassured.

"Way to go, April! You faced your bad side!" Mikey cheered.

"See? We did it, and I knew you could do it, too!" Donnie complimented, smiling brightly.

April gave a lopsided smile and replied, "Thanks, guys. I just hope I never have to go through that again-"

The redhead suddenly gasped and clutched her head. Pain radiated through her skull-something she thought impossible in her inner psyche-and swore she heard a desperate scream. Someone was in trouble, but who? Hearing the voice again made it very clear…

 _"_ _Get away from me!"_

Lifting her head up, April shouted, "Karai! We have to get to her NOW!"

* * *

"Get away from me!"

Karai normally wouldn't sound so desperate unless she was fighting the Shredder. In her mind, sounding like a scared child crying for help meant she showed weakness she preferred to keep hidden. This wasn't the Shredder, but her adversary was enough to make her desperate. After all, she was engaged in battle against a mirror-image of herself. The only differences were the shadowy-grey skin, the glowing amber eyes, and the slew of insults it hurled that even she never thought to use against her enemies.

Now here she was, blocking the double's tanto with her own, narrowly avoiding having her head sliced in half. She fought to push the opposing blade away, but this creature had enough strength to keep pushing back and make her arms tremble with failing strength. Her eyes went to look around this place-swords cluttering the walls, pictures of her true family slowly emerging in small areas, statues of the Shredder with his eyes cut out and arms broken off, scratched away Foot Clan symbols-before looking at the double's…possibly for the last time.

"Look at this place…you're trying so hard to wipe the Foot away from your identity." The double taunted, remaining stone-faced and cold in tone. "But no matter how hard you try, you'll still be tainted by the enemy clan. That's what you're so afraid of."

"I don't know what you are…but you're wrong!" The kunoichi barked. With a surge of strength, she pushed the double back and took a swing for its stomach. "I'm no longer part of them!"

"Maybe not physically…but you can never escape Shredder's shadow. Not in your mind, and not in your spirit." The double blocked the attempted slice at its stomach, pushing its original away before swiping at her cheek. "Telling yourself you're now Hamato Miwa? You're fooling yourself."

The double took its tanto and used it to pin Karai to the wall, straight through her shoulder. With its target trapped and struggling, it leaned forward until its lips hovered over her ear, the perfect moment to whisper harsh words.

"You'll _always_ be Oroku Karai."

The kunoichi gasped, finding herself filled with shock…but that shock quickly morphed into rage. With an angry yell, she yanked the tanto out of her shoulder and threw it at the double, not caring that she missed. "You're WRONG! I AM Hamato Miwa!"

The shadow proceeded to violently backhand Karai, knocking her to the floor. Karai watched in horror as her double shifted in form, screeching in agony the entire way. The form was much too familiar, and a painful reminder of what her ties with Shredder cost her. Instead of the human shadow fighting her, the kunoichi stared up at a glowing-eyed mutant serpent threatening to rip her in half.

"You'll NEVER be the Hamato Miwa Splinter wanted to raise!" The double bellowed, coiling its snake-arms around Karai and squeezing her with all its might. "You're not kind like your mother, nor are you merciful like your father; you're a disappointing little PUNK!"

A blow to the face with a headbutt. "That's why April O'Neil is around! She is EVERYTHING Splinter wanted in MIWA!"

Another blow, hitting Karai in the chin, spilling blood. "You're forever tainted by Oroku Saki! There is NO HOPE!"

Squeezing, then cutting her in the face with its pointed tail. "A Foot kunoichi is what you'll ALWAYS be!"

After its tirade, the shadow became eerily calm, leaning its snout forward and whispering, "I would know these things…because I am part of you."

Karai's face became ashen, and she violently shook her head. The shadow squeezed harder and made it impossible to breathe. If she didn't figure something out soon, she would die. "N-No…no…"

As the kunoichi felt her body cease struggling in the serpents hold, she resigned to just closing her eyes; she was tired of fighting, even in her denial of the being. However, a sound brought her back on full-alert…the voices of her family calling for her. Even April called for her. All of them were trying to tell her something, but what?

"Karai, if you don't want that thing to kill you, you have to accept it!"

What was Donatello talking about? Accept this fake? Accept every negative thing it told her? Karai's pride wouldn't let her admit it…but she knew what the creature spat was true. It was all true. However, rather than accept the demons deep within her, she kept the wall of denial up, fearing showing weakness. Never show weakness…that was what Saki always taught her. Accepting your inner demons meant weakness. Crying for help meant weakness. Showing fear meant weakness. And yet here she was scared for her life.

"I…can't…" She ground out, forcing an eye open. "I-I can't…"

"Karai, we won't think any less of you for having inner demons. You think it was easy for us to face ours!?" Leo chastised. "Just push your pride aside and own up to them; I had to!"

"…But I AM a Hamato now! This thing tells me that I'm always a Foot ninja, no matter what!" The kunoichi cried, feeling her bones on the verge of breaking in the double's hold. "I-It's wrong!"

April puffed out her cheeks and decided to give her input. "That's how you feel inside! Those doubles are our insecurities, and the more you deny them, the stronger they become! If you don't accept it at all, it'll do everything it can to KILL you!"

Karai kept wanting to say 'no', but not with a shadowy doppelganger squeezing her to death. Princess…no, April was right. Time to push aside the stupid pride Shredder filled her with…that was one more thing she could do to sever her ties with him. But the biggest method of severing ties would be to let the walls down and admit her faults. "O-Okay…okay, you're right! I have those fears; I still feel that I'll always be the monster Shredder made me!"

To her surprise, the double uncoiled its body and let her go with a dull thud. Karai took a few breaths of air and struggled to get to her feet, requiring the aid of Leonardo and Raphael. When she looked back at her shadow, it shifted back to its human form, staring at her with expecting eyes; just saying everything was true wasn't enough. Boy, did this thing drive a hard bargain without saying anything.

"I'm back with my real family…I've accepted my birth name…I've forsaken Shredder all-together. But…I'm always afraid it won't be enough. I'm still afraid that I'll always be the Karai Oroku Saki raised to destroy Splinter and his clan." Karai quietly hugged her aching arms around her body and cast her eyes down, like the sad, scared girl she fought NOT to be. "I'm not the type of person I should've been as Miwa…that's why I was always jealous of April. If anyone's lived up to the name Hamato Miwa, it's her. She's the daughter Splinter always wanted…I'm just the daughter damaged by his mortal enemy."

"Karai, you're not damaged. You didn't have a say when Shredder took you, and you certainly didn't have a say when he fed you lie after lie about your parents." To her surprise, Donatello offered her the words of reassurance. "You're working to change and be the person you want to be…but it's okay to have those fears. Just don't deny that you have them, because it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes."

Being told it was okay to be vulnerable still felt foreign to her. She hated the feeling, and yet it was all she wanted to feel right now. Fighting back tears, she took a look at her shadow and mumbled, "You know what? You're me…you've always been me, and I won't deny you any longer."

The double stared at her in silence, suddenly flashing her a smirk as it came closer and became one with her. With that, all of them faced their inner demons and accepted them, even though they were close to destroying themselves in the process. Now the bigger issue came…how would they get out of their inner oases?

"You guys did it! You faced yourselves!"

The six of them turned around and saw Embry applauding them, a huge smile on his face. Donnie gave a smile in return, while the others fixated their eyes on the child they only knew from Cheyloe's stories. Seeing him face-to-face…well, spirit-to-spirit threw them for a loop.

"You're Embry?" Leo asked, amazed at the boy. "Have you been helping us the entire time?"

Embry nodded gleefully. "Yeah! I helped you guys travel to each other's happy places to help each other. Master Splinter won't say it's cheating, will he?"

"No, little dude! As long as we're still here, I'm sure Sensei'll let it slide!" Mikey beamed, ruffling the child's hair.

"So how'd ya know we'd be in trouble, squirt? Are you really Donnie's guardian spirit?" Raph questioned, crossing his arms over his plastron.

"I got connected with Donnie after he helped me be brave. I watched over him since he did his vision quest, and it took me and Mommy Shen to talk him into coming back to life. Of course I was gonna help him face himself!" The child explained, rocking back and forth on his feet. "You guys are his family, so of course I was gonna make sure you were helped, too!"

April suddenly knelt down and looked the boy in the eyes. "Embry, can I ask you something? If you're connected with Donnie, how come you're not connected with Chey, too?"

"Well…I was already connected to her when I was alive. I did everything I could for her back then." Embry replied, his cheer suddenly gone and biting on his lower lip. "Donnie's doing a better job of making sure she's okay, so I make sure he's okay until he doesn't need me anymore."

Shocked, Donnie opened his mouth to retort, but the boy's eyes widened and he added, "It's almost time for you guys to wake up! You don't want to make Master Splinter worry! We'll talk again, Donnie…and everything'll be okay!"

The six felt like they only blinked when they disappeared out of the inner oasis and found themselves awakening inside the dojo. Still in the lotus position, they groggily faced Master Splinter, who apparently never moved while they were under the effects of that 'Infini-Tea'. Blinking the sleep out of their eyes, they groaned and tried to make sense of everything that happened.

"Welcome back." Splinter greeted softly. "Did you learn anything valuable from this training?"

"Sensei…" Raph began, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath to say, "We…went through some seriously messed-up stuff."

"We had to face our inner demons, Sensei!" Mikey cried, cupping his face with his tired hands. "They wanted to kill us when we kept rejecting them! If it wasn't for us coming to help each other or Embry helping us, we would've been goners! I don't wanna do that again!"

The rat blinked at the mention of Embry, but he had a hunch a gentle spirit gave guidance to his children when he didn't. He would've only interfered himself if he sensed absolute danger; he wouldn't risk their lives so recklessly. He knew he didn't need to when he felt the spirit of Embry first contact Donatello, then everything went from there. Nevertheless, he felt relieved that they came out of this exercise alive, physically and mentally. "Do you think it was easy for me, Michelangelo? It is never easy to accept your insecurities as a part of who you are…but accepting them helps you build a sense of humility and spiritual balance."

"So why did they want to kill us for rejecting them?" Karai questioned.

"Your insecurities…your _shadows_ …felt pain for being rejected. Rejecting them was essentially the same as rejecting your entire self, so they lashed out in anger and tried to destroy you." Splinter explained calmly, seeing the six wear surprised expressions. "The only way to quell their anger was to acknowledge they were part of you…and you succeeded, even after much struggle."

"Still, it's not easy owning up to your bad side." Donnie admitted reluctantly. "Especially when others witness what you feel deep inside…though, the only one who witnessed mine was Embry."

April cocked her head to the side. "So what were your insecurities? Donnie, do they deal with everything that's happened recently?"

The purple-masked turtle winced, nodding and replying, "…That and a few things going on for years."

Raph gave a shrug and slapped his thighs, startling the others in the dojo. "Well, why don't we get this all out on th' table? Let's talk about what's been botherin' us…and no makin' fun of anything, got it?"

To hear the red-masked turtle say he didn't want anyone made fun of was a shock; normally, he and Mikey were the first ones to poke fun at someone's insecurities. However, considering how they had their own insecurities thrown in their faces, having those insecurities be made fun of didn't feel so funny anymore. Lighthearted teasing, maybe…but no cruel taunts or exaggerations. Just talking things out and giving support to each other.

Depending on what happened when they finally confronted Shredder and Farrah…it would or wouldn't be their last time for a heart-to-heart…

* * *

 **With that, the "I'll Face Myself" trilogy has come to a close! Next up will be a drabble occurring mere days after the defeat of Shredarrah and features some fluff and character bonding. Next we'll have drabbles featuring uncontrollable powers, dimensional travel, Donnie getting acquainted with Cheyloe's parents, and more journal entries! Do stay tuned and feel free to send requests for a scenario!**


	17. Sign Your Name Here

**Author's Note: Another day, and another drabble! Well, this one takes place about four or five days after Shredarrah is defeated, and Cheyloe's stubbornness may hamper with her leg healing. How will the others get her to relax and let them do stuff for her? Especially since the one most worried is Donnie? Featuring a group lecture, a snippy Donnie, a stubborn Chey, and Sharpie Markers. Read and review!**

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Drabble 17: Sign Your Name Here

Cheyloe knew the day started roughly when her cast got stuck in the turnstiles. It was her own fault; she often pushed herself like this to show she was still in top condition, when she clearly wasn't. If it wasn't her grunts that alerted everyone to her dilemma, it was her crutches clattering against the floor that sent them running. Despite the shouts telling her not to, she continued to try and yank her broken leg out of the turnstiles, only to cause herself more pain than needed. Unfortunately, the Doggett stubbornness refused to let her quit now.

"Cheyloe, quit!" Donatello commanded. Holding her still, he gently moved the turnstiles until her leg came free from them and the gate. The turtle sighed loudly before scolding, "You should've called for us and we would've-wait, did you come here by yourself!?"

The brunette shrugged sheepishly and replied, "…I drove. I didn't take the ladder, either, I-"

"Honestly Cheyloe, if you keep this up, you're leg's going to STAY broken!" Donnie groaned, picking her up bridal style as Leonardo retrieved her fallen crutches. He didn't mean to snap in such a way, but she was a nurse and should've known better. "C'mon, I'm getting you to the sofa."

Chey avoided Donnie's heated glare, saying nothing as he gingerly seated her on the sofa. He'd been hovering over her and worrying since she got out of the hospital five days ago. The night before she woke up in a hospital bed, they defeated Shredarrah. She climbed up the creature and hopped into it to help Donnie, only to have her leg twisted and broken by its living veins. If it wasn't for Donnie, she would've had it ripped off. Now here she was pushing herself too much and making him worry to the point of frustration. Donnie left for the lab a moment later in a huff, leaving her with everyone else and her broken leg.

"Turnin' into a rebel, aren't ya Chey?" Casey asked cheekily.

The brunette snorted, "I'm not turning into a rebel, Casey! I just don't want Donnie to worry over me so much; I would've gotten free if he let me!"

"That could've happened, or you would've broken your leg further." Leo pointed out with a finger jabbed at her cast. "Seriously, you should know better as a nurse not to do that. Isn't stuff like that why so many people come to the hospital?"

"Well, they always say doctors make the worst patients. I guess the same can be applied to nurses, too." April mused, taking a seat next to their friend.

Karai, or rather Miwa, decided to join in the teasing and sat on the other side of Cheyloe, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Everyone thinks I'M stubborn, but this one takes first prize. Donnie should've seen how fast she climbed up Shreddarah just to get to him."

Michelangelo hovered his head over Raphael's shoulder and bounced on his feet to interject, "Ooh, ooh, and she's acting like us taking care of her is the end of the world! She already does a lot for us-"

"Especially for Donnie!" Raph fake-coughed into his fist.

"-that she thinks we shouldn't do stuff for her! Here I thought Donnie was bad about that!"

With everyone suddenly talking at once, all commenting on how her stubbornness and putting her own well-being on the backburner had her cheeks flushed a deep red. If they were trying to teach her a lesson, they were getting carried away with it. Still, with everything they started listing off, she certainly wasn't THAT bad! If anything, they were exaggerating it just to embarrass her. A voice in her head told her they were making the point obvious to her, however. Sighing in defeat, she sunk further into the cushion and tried to hide her shame.

"Great…everyone's ganging up on me and I can't do a thing about it." She muttered, shoulders hunched up and arms crossed. "Donnie being testy is bad enough, and now this…"

Leo was the first to frown. "We're not gaining up on you. Look, I get it, you don't think anyone should worry over you. Isn't it kind of hypocritical to worry over us then get upset when we worry about YOU, though?" Before Chey could retort, he held up a hand, halting her. "No, no buts! You're not going to get yourself hurt even more because you want to prove you can still take care of everyone."

"I just don't want Donnie or anyone else to worry about me, Leo!" Chey finally retorted, hands balled up into fists and bouncing her good foot on the floor. "I don't…want him to know how I felt when he…"

"When he pretty much died." Raph finished bluntly, ignoring the brunette's sudden flinch. "But he came back, thanks to you." The red-masked turtle stood in front of her and looked her dead in the eyes to add, "Look, Chey, Donnie's gonna worry about ya no matter what, 'cause that's how much he loves ya. Sure, ya just got a broken leg, but he's still gonna worry 'is head off."

That didn't make Cheyloe feel any better, and it certainly didn't bring a snippy Donnie out of the lab. Knowing his sour mood was because she caused him worry made her sink further into the couch, wishing she could be engulfed already. That's when Mikey jumped in to add his piece. "C'mon, dudette, turn that frown upside-down! Hey, tell you what, today we're gonna spoil you all day long! Name something and we'll do it!"

Chey's mouth gaped open, but she quickly closed it and feverishly shook her head. "No, no, don't worry about that! I don't want you to put that burden on yourselves-"

"Here we go again!" April threw her hands in the air and let them fall back in her lap with a huff. Not caring how the brunette-four years older and often using that to solidify her authority despite the redhead being nineteen-would react, she also got up in her face and scolded, "Listen, missy! You're relaxing and there's nothing you can do about it!" There was suddenly a smirk on her face, and she could see the brunette gulp in surprise. "…And I know just the way to start. Ready, everyone?"

Splinter suddenly appeared from the dojo, also wearing a sinister smile to match everyone else's. "I also wish to be included in giving Cheyloe a lesson. Would that be all right, April?"

"Of course, Master Splinter. The more the merrier."

Cheyloe didn't know what to say when the group suddenly pulled out…Sharpie markers?

"…Help…"

* * *

Cheyloe absorbed herself into a marathon of crime shows, attempting to make sense of what just happened. First, they surround her with those markers…then the next thing she knew, April decided to paint her nails. Miwa…Miwa actually put mascara and eyeliner on her; apparently Anna told her how horrible she was at putting them on. Mikey brought her a bowl of popcorn and brought Ice Cream Kitty in her cooler to visit. Raph and Casey both shared stories of all the crazy jobs they did in Northampton just to earn the group money to survive, and she found herself laughing at all of them. Master Splinter gave her a cup of tea and gave her a light-hearted lecture on letting others help her since she always helped them. Finally, Leo introduced her to Space Heroes and bragged about how cool it was. Many pairs of eyes rolled at his 'fanboy' attitude.

So absorbed in watching TV and processing everything, the brunette didn't notice the sudden weight on the cushion next to her. Maybe it was someone coming back to give her something else or talk to her more. When she turned her head, she found the one person she missed most of the day.

Donnie.

"Oh…hey." She greeted apprehensively.

Donatello looked at her and nervously replied, "Hey. Uh…looks like everyone kept you company today." He lifted her hand and examined it, also taking note of her feet. "Oh, it looks like April or Miwa painted your nails. It…looks good."

Silence between the two, save for the TV. Finally, Chey found the courage to speak. "Donnie, I'm sorry for the mishap at the turnstiles. I knew what I was doing was dumb, but I was so desperate to show I could still take care of myself that I…have a hard time accepting help."

The purple-masked turtle sighed and finally looked her in the eyes, saying, "Cheyloe, I get where you're coming from. I shouldn't have been so snippy about it or gave you the silent treatment. Regardless, you have to put your pride aside and let us help you, and trying so hard to prove you're fine's just going to halt your recovery."

"…Wasn't that the same speech we gave you not long ago?" She asked in a sly tone, smirking.

"Yes, you guys said it to me, and now I'm saying it to you." Donnie admitted with a sheepish smile, hands folded in his lap. "Trust me, everyone's given me that talk more than enough times…so be open when I give it to you."

That's when he pulled her close and let her rest her head on his shoulder, feeling her scoot closer and leave no space between them. "It's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to let others take care of you when you need it. It's not because we think you're incompetent...we…I just want you to have a full recovery."

Cheyloe wiped at her eyes and frowned, murmuring, "I didn't mean to make you worry. Donnie, I don't want you to have to feel how I felt when YOU got hurt, and I still end up doing it!" She went to dig her fist into her bleary eyes before looking up at the turtle, commenting, "…If I do something stupid like that again, you have full permission to yell at me."

"I'm not going to yell at you." Donnie stated plainly, but quickly narrowed his eyes and added, "But until your leg starts improving, I'm going to come by your apartment every day to make sure you're not overexerting yourself. I'm sure Anna and Kaitlyn will agree with me, so are we clear?"

"…Yes, sir."

Satisfied that she agreed, Donnie leaned back into the couch and decided to watch the marathon with her. That is, until he noticed her cast and compared it to how it was when she first arrived. At that time, it was plain and without any sort of blemish, save for scuff marks from the turnstiles. Now when he looked at it, it was decorated in a myriad of colors and letters. Signatures…signatures from everyone excluding him. Without Chey noticing him, he took the time to stare at the cast and see the signatures and messages scattered across the plaster.

 _Get Well Soon –Leo._ Written in blue marker, a message from the eldest turtle.

From Raph, a message in red. _Stay tough –Raph._

 _GWS Dudette! –Mikey._ Of course, the orange marker and sloppy handwriting came from Mikey.

Then there was one from April, written in bright yellow. _Thanks for being a great friend. –April._

 _Get well and kick butt soon! –Casey Jones Rules._ The message in green made Donnie roll his eyes. Typical of Casey.

The last two messages were both written in Japanese, but he could clearly understand what they meant. It was obvious who the black and brown signatures and messages belonged to, and he'd let Chey know what they meant if she didn't already.

 _Thank you for believing in me when others wouldn't. –Miwa._

 _May you be blessed with a bright and successful future. –Hamato Yoshi_

"Everybody signed your cast?"

The brunette stared down at the plaster and spoke, "Oh, yeah, they did. They all gave me a lecture after you left and decided they were going to spoil me all day. Donnie, they swarmed me with Sharpie markers; I couldn't escape! Mikey and Casey wanted to add something, uh, inappropriate to their messages, but Splinter stopped them just in time. Then after that was then they did some…really nice things for me."

"Feels pretty good when others look out for you, doesn't it?" The genius turtle asked.

Chey actually found herself smiling, putting her stubborn pride aside. "Yeah it does."

Suddenly, Donnie hopped off the couch and bolted for the lab. Cheyloe wondered what it was about; did she say something to upset him again? Or did he have an invention to help with her mobility? When he returned, he came up to her with one of his hands behind his shell, piquing her curiosity. He quickly smiled and pulled out what turned out to be a purple Sharpie. She didn't even have to ask to know what his plan was.

"Is there room for one more?" He asked casually.

"I'd say that's a yes." She grinned brightly.

In a flash, Donnie kneeled beside her leg and jotted down a message with quick precision. He finished by capping the Sharpie closed and taking a seat next to her again, pulling her back to him with a protective arm around her shoulders. She murmured something about watching the best part of the show and telling him not to get up because he was warm. He only chuckled and rested his head on top of hers, telling her that he'd order pizza tomorrow and bring it to her place. For Cheyloe, everything felt better once she had that last signature on her cast.

 _Get well soon, you stubborn fireball. –Love, Donnie._

* * *

 **A good mix of fluff and crack, wasn't it? All right, I think the next drabbles will center around Raph and April, with some Cheytello thrown into the mix, of course. We may even have Leo trying and failing to teach a certain android about Earth, an introduction to a certain witch of the Foot Clan, and of course everything else I said I'd write about! Also be on the lookout for the first chapter of Turtle Dove 2! Well, be sure to stay tuned!**


	18. Like Wildfire

**Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for a few weeks. I've had writer's block, been playing Pokemon, had a lot of overtime, and got to playing the Sims 4. So a lot's piled up, huh? Well, I finally have another drabble and I plan on posting the first chapter of Turtle Dove 2 soon! I don't know if this one is as good as the others, but here it is. A word of caution: for those craving Raphril, there will definitely be Raphril here! Well, read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 18: Like Wildfire

"Raph…when are you gonna do it?"

Raphael looked up from his plate of spaghetti and plainly asked, "What're ya talkin' about, Mikey?"

"Don't play dumb with me, bro!" Michelangelo scolded. "When are you gonna tell April?"

The red-masked turtle visibly stiffened, clenching his glass of soda hard enough that cracking could be heard. "…I don't know what ya mean, Mikey."

Mikey immediately huffed and spooned a heaping pile of pasta on a plate for Leo…though he did it angrily. Confident the dinner staple wouldn't burn from the stove's heat, he turned around to fully face his evasive brother. "Dude, are you serious? Mr. I-Tell-It-Like-It-Is can't even find it in himself to tell April how he feels!? This has gotta stop!"

"Why's it your business, Mikey!?" Raph spat, full on the defensive. "What makes you think I have feelings for her!?"

Leonardo suddenly appeared in the kitchen and plainly answered, "Uh, me and Donnie were there when you faced your inner demons. You started crushing on her the same time Donnie did. You just did better with hiding it."

"Dude, since the whole Shredarrah battle, you've been actin' weird around her!" The orange-masked turtle griped as he slung hot spaghetti on a plate and slid the plate to the eagerly-awaiting Leo. "Every time you try to talk to her, you act more like you've been constipated for a few years; it's weird, man!"

The red-masked turtle immediately went beet-red in the face. "I do NOT!"

"Yeah, you do." Leo deadpanned.

"I second that!" Donatello called from the lab.

Before Raph could tell his brothers to shut up, Mikey decided to set the record straight with his brother. "Raph, Leo and Donnie told me what your double said about April; don't do this denial stuff again. Dude, I can see it in your eyes that you're crazy about her. You two got really close while the anti-mutant junk went on, you helped her after her dad turned on us…heck, she even told me how scared you were that you'd possibly get killed by that Sang guy!"

"…"

Raphael wanted to keep denying, but considering his brothers already knew the truth, that was out of the question. It wasn't at all that he denied having feelings for April; he accepted that long ago. The root of the problem was obvious: what if she didn't feel the same way about him? He didn't worry about any competition from Donnie since his brother more-or-less hooked up with Cheyloe…so that left him…and Casey. Raph knew there weren't many differences between himself and Casey in terms of personality, but there was one advantage the hockey player had: he was human. He could take April places she wanted to go. He could make a future for her. He was what others considered 'normal'.

And he was just a mutant freak she didn't need.

"Raph."

The temperamental turtle turned and saw Donnie emerging from his lab, wearing a look of seriousness. Raph knew to expect seriousness when it involved April, but didn't expect it involving himself, too. The same brother he often told to give up on pursuing April by using the 'she's a girl, you're a mutant' argument was about to tell HIM something involving her…so would he end up getting a taste of his own medicine?

"Raph, if I were you, I would get out of the lair and go tell April how you feel." Donnie advised, his tone low and to-the-point precise. "If you don't, you'll end up regretting it. Don't be afraid to jump at the chance for happiness that you miss the big one. If she says no…at the very least, you tried."

Without Raph saying anything, the genius turtle continued, "Besides, it's your turn to do a training run with her tonight. And Raph, don't worry about-"

"Oh crap!"

Raphael suddenly bolted for the lair exit even as Donnie kept talking. In all his worry over feelings, he completely forgot he had to meet with April for a rooftop training session. Every week, each of them would take turns giving her a one-on-one lesson to prepare her for the much-anticipated kunoichi title; Miwa even decided to pitch in when she returned from Japan. Tonight was his turn, and he would be late…and April wouldn't be too happy about it.

Once Raph disappeared, Mikey piped up, "So where will Casey fall in this?"

"That's what I was getting to…" Donnie sighed in annoyance.

* * *

Raphael rushed over the rooftops in a series of fierce breaths and jumps to find April. Despite all that, he knew he was almost twenty minutes late and knew she wouldn't be pleased. Whatever chewing out he got from her he deserved, but in his defense, he forgot due to Miwa being back from Japan and Donnie constantly checking on Cheyloe's leg. April wasn't the type to accept excuses, no matter how legitimate. Skipping out on her training and giving into Casey's barrage of texts about chasing muggers sounded good right now-

No. April didn't deserve to be left in the cold like that. No matter how tense he was, he had to do his job as her friend and one of her teachers. If she got mad at him for being late, so be it…he'd get over it and so would she.

"You're late."

There she was…frowning and crossing her arms. Yep, she was mad. He couldn't have been THAT late, could he? "I'm just a few minutes late, April, no big deal-"

"More like TWENTY minutes late!" April countered, hands now on her hips to show her impatience and frustration. When Raph opened his mouth to retort, she quickly cut him off, "No, no excuses! I thought you ditched me or you got caught by bad guys! You could've called or something!"

Despite the sting that came from her words, Raph only snorted and clenched his fists. "Whatever, I'm here, aren't I? Now come on, let's get started on training so you'll stop complaining."

The redhead rolled her eyes-typical Raphael-but raised her fists and immediately charged for the red-masked turtle. That was another thing he admired about her: just how eager she was to punch anyone or anything; he didn't care that she wanted to punch _him_ right now. Unfortunately for him, his brewing thoughts on April slowly began distracting him. She landed hits on him he could easily dodge, and his own movements grew sloppy. He barely even tried to throw her to the ground or perform any advanced katas on her, and most of his punches merely hit air.

April swept her leg and knocked Raph right off his feet. The turtle landed on his shell with an oomph and clutched his head with one hand, opening one of his eyes to see the redhead staring down at him. Well, she managed to knock him down…so why did she look so irate?

"Raph, you were barely trying to hit me! That was the worst training ever, if you could even call it that!"

The red-masked turtle got to his feet with a groan and grumbled, "I'm just havin' a bad night, April. Cut a turtle some slack, all right?"

"Whenever you have a 'bad' night, that usually makes you fight harder. Something has you distracted and it's affecting training." When April looked at Raphael, she noticed the emotions swirling in his eyes and how hard he fought to hide them. Not even her psychic abilities could fully decode what was going on; Anna still needed to train her on that. Raph was distracted by something, and she immediately knew he didn't feel comfortable enough to say what. "What's wrong, Raph?"

Raphael only shook his head. "Nothin's wrong…"

When Raph stayed silent after that obvious lie, April huffed and turned to walk away. "Fine…don't tell me."

April beginning to walk away meant two things to Raphael: that she was going to the lair to tell Master Splinter what happened, and that he was about to make one of the biggest blunders of his life. He was about to just let her walk away, all because he couldn't allow the walls to come down. Deep down, he believed April deserved better than him…but now it was time to take Donnie's advice and let her know his true feelings.

"April, wait!"

The redhead turned around, and to Raph's shock she looked stone-faced. Was she so angry she just went numb, or was she keeping her emotions in check until he spilled it? Why did she have to make this so hard? Why did HE have to make this so hard? _Time to put up or shut up,_ he thought.

"April…you know the time we had to face our inner demons?" He asked cautiously. A nod from April prompted him to continue, "You didn't see what went on with mine. I…I got a confession to make, Ape. Donnie…Donnie wasn't the only one crushing on you that night we met."

That got April's full attention. "Really? Are you saying…" She had to pause and wonder who would crush on her. Leo? No, he seemed too preoccupied with showing Fugitoid's daughter around New York since she pretty much lived in Donnie's lab now. Mikey? Obviously not. Then…and it was something she felt deep in her gut, "You? You crushed on me?"

"Finally figured it out?" Raph didn't mean to be snappish, but confessing his deepest feelings was never fun; it would've been easier if April witnessed his inner demon ordeal. "Yeah…I crushed on you, too. I just wasn't obvious with it like Donnie was. I told 'im that you two couldn't be together 'cause of you bein' human…truth is, I was tellin' him that so I could have a chance, but I was really tryin' to convince myself to give up, too. Then Casey comes into th' picture

Yeah, me an' him are a lot alike, but I started gettin' jealous once he started hittin' on you; he had a better chance 'cause he's human. Like I said, I hid it better compared to Donnie. Maybe it was 'cause of Donnie likin' you so much that I blamed you for his disappearance…but it tore me apart inside having that much anger towards you. You leavin' us really hurt me, too…I was so afraid we'd never see you again that I just got angrier and angrier. Heck, once you got back, I wanted to say how much I missed you an' liked you…but I backed off. I didn't wanna hurt Donnie.

"Raph…"

The terrapin quietly continued, "When we fled to your farmhouse, we spent time together training, lookin' after Leo, cryin' over what happened. During that Bigfoot stuff, I was so shocked that Donnie let you go…but I still backed off 'cause Casey deserved a chance. Then we spent so much time together after Donnie got hurt, an' we just _connected_ with each other. When we were fighting Sang, and the hug I gave you…I was so scared that night would be the last time we saw each other alive…but even then, I couldn't tell you how much you mean to me."

April didn't say a word, worrying Raph. Oh great, did he freak her out that much? Was he wrong? Were all those displays of affection and confiding in him…her just being nice? Maybe he could go on and throw in the towel, but he lost all control when he blurted out in pure frustration, "For crying out loud, I like you…no, I LOVE you, April! I freaking love you, okay? There, I said it!"

Still no word out of April. Raph immediately felt defeated by the way she just stared at him; staring at him like he grew three heads. He tried…but sometimes trying wasn't enough. He couldn't force April to like him, a lesson Donnie had to learn, and he knew she'd be better off with someone that wasn't him…she needed someone _normal_. In resignation, the red-masked turtle turned his back to her and made a move to return home…until he felt April's well-manicured hand grab his.

"A-April?" He sputtered, turning his head to look at her.

The redhead stared at him with star-struck blue eyes, batting her eyelashes in a way that made Raph swallow a lump in his throat. The way she looked at him…did that mean what he thought it meant? Did she really…

"Raph…can I tell you something?" She asked sweetly, slowly smiling at him as she placed both hands inside his own. She leaned closer, making sure she looked him in the eyes, and confessed, "I love you, too."

…Okay, that definitely threw Raphael for a loop. "I-I…y-you…what?"

"I'm serious, Raph!" April huffed, pulling closer to the turtle. "You've been there for me more than you know. You're so strong, passionate, blunt…but you're also kind and caring and loving, even if you have trouble showing it to others. If it wasn't for you during the time Dad betrayed us…I couldn't have come back swinging. All of that proved to me how much you love me…I just needed to _hear_ it from you to be sure."

The red-masked turtle's mouth opened and closed over and over again, nothing coming out except a barely-audible croak. Still, while April's own confession gave him a sense of relief, he still had to put her needs above his own. He closed his eyes, concealing his pain, and stated, "…I'm not th' kind of guy you deserve, April. I love you, yeah, but I love you enough to put what's best for you first. After all th' crap you've been through, you deserve something normal…like Casey."

April was shocked, to say the least, by Raph telling her she needed to be with someone 'normal'. What shocked her more was that despite confessing his love for her, he told her she was better off with _Casey_. Why was he doing this? Where was the confident Raphael she knew and grew to love? "Raph, didn't anybody tell you? I just see Casey as a friend! You don't have to worry about hurting his feelings or anything…"

"But…"

"Besides…" April gave him a playful smirk, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his burning cheek, "I don't think I can do 'normal' anymore."

Seeing Raph freeze up from the cheek-kiss concerned April. She shook his shoulder, snapped her fingers in front of his face, even waved her hand in front of his eyes…nothing. Then, without warning, the temperamental turtle pulled her forward and gave her a big kiss on the lips. The shock only stayed for a moment, and the redhead closed her eyes to return it in full.

Kissing Raphael didn't set off sparks…it set off an entire wildfire.

* * *

"…And we're pretty much a couple now."

Donnie's jaw slacked open and the soldering iron almost slid out of his hand. He totally expected Raph to finally get the guts to tell April how he felt. What he didn't expect was that not only did April return those feelings, they shared the biggest kiss they could. He and Cheyloe didn't even move this fast once they knew their feelings; they were taking things slow and steady. Then again, Raph was the kind of guy who pretty much lived in the moment…he didn't expect that to be in April, however. No wonder they were drawn to each other.

"And how did you say that kiss went?" Donnie asked curiously.

Raph sighed, smiling and resting his chin in his hands, "Like wildfire."

Surprise aside, the purple-masked turtle smiled and stated, "Well, I'm glad you got the guts to tell her, so congratulations, bro." Said smile suddenly faded and auburn eyes narrowed. He slowly got up and loomed over his brother, adding, "But I'll warn you, Raph…I won't make any exceptions because you're my brother. If you do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to hurt April, I'll be sure to fetch Casey and-"

"I get it, Donnie," Raph chuckled, "April's had th' same talk with Chey about you."

Donnie stopped with his threat, mouth still hanging open and the finger he pointed at his brother suddenly drooping. "Wait, what?"

The red-masked turtle leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head, grinning as he explained, "Yeah, April gave Chey a little talk concernin' you. She told 'er that if she ever hurt you or ran off again, she'd fry 'er brain like she did Sang's. They should be out right now gettin' their nails done to celebrate."

The purple-masked turtle blinked, resting his hand in his chin. "It blows my mind…you always said that we'd never find someone who would love us for who we are, and now we both have just that. Who would've thought we'd ever find people like Cheyloe and April?"

"Maybe that turtle luck works in our favor sometimes." Raph shrugged, still grinning. "Why don't we see if it works for Leo an' Mikey, too?"

"Twenty dollars says Leo starts courting Andromeda." Donnie wagered confidently.

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Even though she's a robot or cyborg or whatever?"

"Yep." Donnie quickly leaned forward and lightly slapped his brother on the shoulder. "But seriously Raph, congrats. I'm glad you found your special someone."

"Well, same here, Don." Raph chuckled heartily. "Maybe we aren't supposed to be forever alone after all."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it! Raph and April are officially together, and it's hinted that Donnie and Chey are starting to date, too. Leo may have a potential special someone, and don't worry about Mikey; he'll find his someone, too! Next up, and this is one I'm stoked for, Donnie's going to get an unexpected encounter with Cheyloe's mom and dad! Do stay tuned for it!**


	19. Meet the Parents

**Author's Note: Thanks for being patient with me! I've had a lot going on, including the death of a family member, so I've been spotty on writing lately. But now I've got a new drabble, and it's the moment you've been waiting for...Donnie meeting Cheyloe's parents! I won't give anything else away, so read and review!**

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Drabble 19: Meet the Parents

Donatello placed his wrench down and rubbed a damp rag over his face. Screws, miscellaneous tools, a flashlight, and several appliance parts surrounded him on the tile floor. He immediately paused when something cold pressed against his cheek, and glanced over to see it was a glass of ice-cold water. Looking up, he saw the glass was held by a smiling Cheyloe, prompting him to smile in return and graciously take the glass.

"Thanks, milady." Donnie breathed out.

Chey watched him take several gulps of water, placing the glass on the counter once finished. Her eyes scanned the parts scattered on the floor before she asked, "So, will the refrigerator and oven live?"

Donnie grabbed the wrench again and leaned inside the oven. "The refrigerator will most definitely live," He answered matter-of-factly, "As for the stove, all I need to do is put in a new temperature probe and bake element and it'll work like brand new!"

"You're a lifesaver, Donnie!" The brunette knelt down and gave the sweaty turtle a hug once he emerged from the oven. She instantly reached for her purse on the counter and dug through it for her wallet, asking, "How much do I owe you?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" The genius turtle halted her with a raised hand. "You're my girlfriend…so this service is free of charge."

Cheyloe frowned, "Oh, come on, Donnie! Surely there's a way I can pay you for this!"

He scratched his chin in deep thought, laying his tools down. "Hmm…well, there is ONE thing." He got to his feet and suddenly jerked his thumb in the direction of the hallway, asking, "Could I use your shower? I'm sweating so much that I'm starting to stink, and I'm covered in food crumbs from the oven."

"Hey, _mi casa es su casa_! You're free to use it anytime!" The brunette beamed.

Donnie immediately grinned at her before disappearing to the bathroom. Now left alone, Cheyloe took a deep breath and pondered on what to do until he finished. No use in trying to finish his handiwork on the oven; she'd probably do more harm than good. Maybe an episode of 'Untold Stories from the ER' would pass the time. Or maybe she'd surprise Donnie with an iced coffee from the nearby coffee stand to give him a dose of cold and caffeine. Kaitlyn was still out grocery shopping, and Anna was visiting her sister, so she'd have to leave him a note if she decided to go out. Before she could settle on an option, she heard a loud knock on the door.

Chey immediately froze; Anna and Kaitlyn wouldn't knock, and it couldn't be Casey or April. Was it the landlord? No, she already paid him the month's rent. It certainly couldn't be the creepy guy and his Pomeranian from 3A. Whoever it was, Donnie was at risk of being discovered unless he stayed in the bathroom. She heard another knock and immediately rushed for the door. Maybe she could convince whoever it was that now as a bad time for a visit or to sell a product or whatever. She carefully undid the lock and opened the door to see who it was.

"Hello-"

"Cheyloe! Guess who came for a surprise visit!"

Cheyloe visibly paled.

A petite woman with greying blonde hair leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug. Standing next to the woman was a taller man who was somewhat heavyset and sporting a beard and cap covering his dark-grey hair. The woman stopped to give Chey a kiss on her cheek, and the man leaned forward and wrapped her in a strong, one-arm hug. The brunette found herself trying to process what was going on, why these people were here, and how they had the time to get here.

"M-Mom? Dad?" She sputtered, forcing a smile to alleviate any suspicions. "Well…this-this is unexpected."

"Well, I said it's a surprise visit! Weren't you listening?" Her mother lightly chastised, letting go to look around the apartment. "Phone conversations were staring to get old, so I told Chuck that we should take the time to drive all the way here from Kentucky and visit our baby girl! I can do without the traffic, but I LOVE New York!"

"Sandra, you're overwhelming her." Chuck scolded gruffly before looking at his daughter. "Sorry for not calling, Cheyloe. You weren't busy, were you?"

Cheyloe quickly shook her head, listening intently for any noises in the bathroom. "N-No, not at all! Just been relaxing while Anna and Kaitlyn are out!"

Sandra Doggett suddenly bounded to Cheyloe and lightly touched her bangs. "Oh, you finally got those bangs cut! I know you wanted to hide those scars, but don't use your bangs to hide that pretty face; cover-up does wonders!"

Chey ignored the cheesy cheer coming from her mother and gave a quick glance towards the bathroom. Donnie would be done showering at any moment, and he'd more than likely walk out and be caught by her parents. From numerous phone conversations she had with her parents, they were aware that a 'Donnie' existed…but she never got to telling them WHAT Donnie was. Now if she wasn't careful, they'd discover the what and more than likely call the police. As long as Donnie didn't come out, or she could distract them long enough for Donnie to escape, everything was cool. If only it was that simple.

"W-Well, Mom, Dad, I'm sure you two had a LONG drive up here!" Chey stalled, not paying attention to the bathroom door suddenly opening and someone stepping out. "So why don't you two make yourselves at home? You know, take a nap or go meet the neighbors-"

Donatello suddenly stepped into the fray as he worked to tie his mask. "All right Cheyloe, let's get back to work on the oven-"

"OH MY GOD!"

No sooner did Mrs. Doggett scream did Donnie find a purse flying towards his head. He ducked just in time, only to meet frightened shouts and Mr. Doggett fishing his pockets for something, most likely a switchblade. The turtle held his hands up and tried to talk them down, but that only increased their shouting and threatening to do him bodily harm. Cheyloe only stared in horror until she finally had enough; she wasn't going to let the landlord or neighbors discover Donnie, too. Right when her mother was attempting to take her _shoe_ off and chuck it at the poor mutant, the brunette stepped between them and opened her mouth…

"STOP!"

The other three halted and stared wide-eyed at Cheyloe, who graciously welcomed the silence. Taking a deep, calming breath, she ran her fingers through her hair and looked her parents dead in the eyes. Parents or not, they were going to shut up and listen to what she had to say without causing harm to her property or her boyfriend.

"Mom, Dad," she began sternly and waved her hand to the turtle, "This is Donatello."

Chuck and Sandra glanced at each other in shock and looked back at their daughter. Shock now aside, Mrs. Doggett was the first to comment on the situation, "…THAT'S Donatello!? But, but you never said he was-"

"I know, I know!" Chey interrupted. Donnie stood confused in the background, and became even more confused when she added, "I never said he was a mutant; I own that." She turned to Donnie and spoke, "Donnie, these are my parents: Chuck and Sandra."

The genius turtle only paled at the revelation that these frightened people were Cheyloe's **parents**. He heard her tell brief stories about them, but he assumed most were exaggerations; even the one about her dad being 'a bear of a man'. Studying them for a moment gave him assurance that there were definite physical resemblances; the eyes definitely came from the mom, and the hair probably came from the dad. Lips and nose? Mom. Jawline and height? Dad. Personality traits? Cheyloe certainly wasn't gruff like she described her father, and she wasn't exactly neurotic like she described her mother. Their stares told him he looked for too long, and he could only smile and wave.

"…Hi?"

* * *

A short while later, Donnie sat on the couch holding a cup of coffee in his slightly-trembling hands. No matter how much he averted his gaze or took hurried sips from his cup, he couldn't shake the hard stares the Doggetts gave him. Cheyloe sat beside him and was just as uncomfortable as he was, which left the turtle wondering if there was more than just the whole mutant boyfriend issue at play. Right now, he had to simply act natural and make the situation less awkward than it already was. That would mean appealing to their interests, appealing to their love for Cheyloe, or making up outlandish stories to impress them.

And telling lies wasn't his strongpoint.

"So…Donatello." Mrs. Doggett began with a scrutinizing gaze and direct tone, "Were you…always like this?"

Chey shot a glare at her mother, but Donnie paid no heed. He sat his cup down on the coffee table and cleared his throat, "Well, uh, there's not much I remember when I was just a tot. I've known myself to be like this my whole life." He wouldn't go into the detail that he started out as a pet-store turtle, unless he wanted to disgust them. For all they knew, he was mutated from a human baby. "Ten fingers and toes would be nice!"

His attempt at humor failed when they didn't even smile, so the turtle just ducked his head back down. Stress literally radiated off him, and Cheyloe picked up on it. That's when she decided to add a quick save, "Donnie's a great inventor," she piped up, "He made a robot out of stuff from the junkyard! He could definitely bring some life back into your boat, Dad!"

That seemed to get Mr. Doggett's attention, and Donnie watched the man relax a little. The wife, however, proved to be a tough nut to crack and kept on with the questions. "I'm sorry, I have to ask…you and our Cheyloe aren't planning on marriage and children, are you?"

Chey spat out her soda and Donnie choked on his coffee. They weren't that far into the dating aspect, and THAT was already brought up? The turtle sputtered incoherently and the brunette angrily berated her mother for an inappropriate question like that. It was Mr. Doggett who decided to step in and stop any further questions.

"Sandra, leave them alone." The burly man reprimanded. "They're old enough to decide on that without you buttin' in."

The woman snorted and frowned, complaining, "I'm just curious, Chuck! I'd like to know if it's even possible or _legal_ to get married! Besides, if they do that, how can he support her? How do we know this isn't a phase on Chey's part?"

Chey suddenly sat rigid. Her mother dare suggest this was a _phase_? The same mother who tried to set her up with rich good ol' boys who turned out to be spoiled brats? Wasn't she taught her whole life appearances didn't matter, and yet her mother judged Donnie for that? The brunette quietly got to her feet and looked her mother dead in the eyes; a look that would kill if it could.

"A phase, Mom? Really?" She asked daringly. Seeing her mother blink made her go on, "So you think the love I have for Donnie isn't real? Well, you know what? I'm about to once again prove you WRONG…because I'm gonna show you how real that love is!"

Without hesitation, Chey hoisted Donnie off the couch and dipped him. The turtle didn't know what to think, but saw a 'trust me on this' look on his girlfriend's face that calmed him down. Finally, with her parents watching, Chey leaned forward and smashed her lips against Donnie's for a deep, audible, suave kiss. The parents stared bewildered at their daughter's bold gesture, with Mrs. Doggett grimacing. Cheyloe finally let go, leaving Donnie with a dazed smile and laughing goofily.

"Now then, Mom," she stated as she sat Donnie back on the couch, "I'd like a word with you in private."

Hesitantly, Mrs. Doggett got up and followed her daughter into the hall, leaving Donnie alone with Mr. Doggett, whom Donnie mentally named Mr. Chuck-Could-Kill-Me-With-A-Rifle Doggett. Once he came back to his senses, he realized he was alone with the man and visibly tensed…yet the man didn't get up to hurt him or try to throw thinly-veiled insults like his wife. The turtle quickly thought up an excuse to somehow get up and get out of the apartment when-

"Don't take anything my wife says to heart."

Donatello sat back against the couch and asked, "C-Come again, sir?"

Mr. Doggett sat back as well, scratching at his beard and explaining, "I can see it that Chey really loves you. Every time we talk on the phone and she mentions you, she's on cloud nine. Sandra tried setting her up with boys long ago…but she always looked at it from a financial standing…not what would be good for Chey. But since you came along…I haven't heard that much energy in her voice since the little boy died…"

Donnie suddenly asked, "So, wait…are you two aware Chey's a superhuman?"

"We've known it since she first got those powers. Took a while to get used to 'em, but she's still the Cheyloe we love and raised." Mr. Doggett stared the turtle in the eyes and sighed, "Sandra doesn't get that Chey's grown up and can make her own decisions. She's going to decide what kind of guy she loves…and if Sandra can't accept that Chey loves YOU, that's her problem."

Wait…did this mean Chey's dad _accepted_ him?

"Trust me, sir," Donnie began, "I love Cheyloe with everything in me. She saved my life more than once, and I've done my best to keep her out of sticky situations; she's a stubborn one about that. But there's nothing I wouldn't do for her, and if I have to spend the rest of my life proving it, so be it."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Donatello," the man assured, "I believe you. As for Sandra…she'll eventually come around, but as long as Chey's happy, I think you've earned a chance to go on a fishin' trip with me."

Donnie chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, uh…great?"

* * *

"Donnie, I am so sorry about all this…"

Donatello looked at Cheyloe as they both sat on the rooftop. Kaitlyn returned not long ago and decided to entertain the Doggetts while the couple had time alone. Whatever conversation went on between Chey and her mother left the latter not saying much for a while, but they could hear the woman talking all the way from their perch. They hadn't spoken a word until now, and Donnie was left wondering why _she_ would be the one apologizing. Well, maybe it wasn't just due to the less-than-sensitive words her mother spoke about their relationship.

"Sorry for what?" He asked curiously. "Chey, I'm not mad at you over what your mom said. You have no control over what she thinks of us."

"No…but I should've been honest about you from the beginning and faced backlash THEN instead of putting you in the middle." The brunette confessed, hugging her knees to her chest with a deep sigh. "I was so vague about you to them because I never imagined they'd come here. Dad, I can tell he's all right with it…but I don't know if Mom'll ever come around."

Donnie frowned and immediately pulled her closer. He then gave her a side-hug and rested his head on hers before saying, "Chey, we're both old enough to decide who we want to be with, no matter what your parents say or Splinter says. If your mom doesn't come around, that's her loss; you've still got your dad's support and Sensei absolutely adores you! What matters most is that the love we have is genuine."

Suddenly, he turned her face to his and lightly pressed his snout against her nose in a playful manner, teasing, "And I'm going to have to repay you for that kiss."

Seeing Cheyloe smile immediately made the evening better…that and two iced caramel coffees from their favorite coffee stand. The two broke eye contact long enough to each get a drink of the sweetened beverages and stare out into the landscape. Then, Donnie brought up a valid question.

"So, if we could…would you want to get married?"

Chey paused, and a sly smile came upon her lips as she faced him once again.

"What do you think?"

* * *

 **Well, at least Donnie's managed to impress one of Chey's parents. All right, the next drabbles will involve some Leo and Andromeda bonding (I don't think I've done a Leo-centered drabble, have I?), a certain Foot Clan witch entering the scene and meeting our orange-masked party turtle, a tale of powers going out of control, and a trip to a place called 'Dimension 1987'! I'll also be preparing to publish the first chapter to Turtle Dove 2, and I'm thinking of doing a story involving an alternate take on 'Dark April' set after 'Bat in the Belfry'. Not saying I didn't like 'The Power Insider Her'; I loved it! It's more of a 'what-if' thing. Anyway, stay tuned for those!**


	20. Magic in the Air

**Author's Note: Here's my 20th drabble for Turtle Dove Tidbits, and it's a late Valentine's Day drabble to boot. Now this is a Mikey-centered one, and it's going to introduce a certain Foot Clan witch into the group. Not much else to say about it, so read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 20: Magic in the Air

It was Valentine's Day, and Michelangelo honestly didn't feel great.

Normally, he didn't mind Valentine's Day at all. He enjoyed the cheesy love-songs, making crude construction-paper valentines for his brothers and Sensei, and even made them heart-shaped pancakes and now heart-shaped pizza. He normally loved Valentine's Day about as much as any other holiday; nothing could ever beat Christmas, though. However, this Valentine's Day, he felt…miserable.

It all started when he fixed the traditional heart-shaped pancakes for his family. During breakfast time, that's when he heard Donatello and Raphael discussing going out with Cheyloe and April for a double-date. They would be going out for pizza gyoza at Murakami's, then the girls would grab some dessert to share with their guys on the rooftops. Mikey wanted to join, but…he didn't have a date. Okay, then he would spend time with Leo and Sensei, no big deal. Then he overheard Leo talking about taking Andromeda to Central Park. Leo claimed it would be to 'educate Andromeda', but Mikey knew what that really meant. He knew that Leo was going to get all mushy with her, even though she was a cyborg.

Well, that left Sensei; it wouldn't be weird to spend some quality time with Sensei. Then he received news that Splinter would be out, too. Though Splinter no longer had Shen to spend Valentine's Day with, he still had another love to spend the day with. Mikey learned his father would be using the day to spend quality time with Miwa; help them reconnect and help her learn more about her mother. Casey was another possibility, but now he was dating some girl he met at the diner named Gabrielle.

That left Mikey all alone on Valentine's Day…and it absolutely SUCKED.

True, he had Ice Cream Kitty with him, but she was his pet, and who in their right mind would date their _pet_? He didn't mind it so much that he didn't have a girlfriend, but he still hated the idea of being alone on Valentine's Day or any holiday. Situations like this made him want to break down and cry sometimes…but crying wouldn't fix the problem.

Skipping the plans for heart-shaped pizza, the orange-masked turtle opened the freezer and greeted his frozen pet with a sad smile. The cat meowed and licked his snout, but tilted her head when she noticed how downtrodden her master was.

"I'm gonna go get some fresh air, Kitty." Mikey announced quietly. "Don't worry, I'll get us a strawberry shortcake bar to share, okay?"

As Mikey closed the freezer and headed out of the lair, he failed to notice Miwa exiting the dojo and seemingly looking for him. Assuming he was still at home, the kunoichi called out, "Mikey? Wanna come with us, there's a friend I-"

Mikey was already gone when she called for him. At first, she seemed worried, but quickly shrugged her shoulders. Maybe he decided to go skateboarding…

* * *

Mikey sighed from his perch on the rooftop, where he had a perfect view of one of the fancy restaurants in New York. He could see many couples coming in and out of the establishment; obviously for expensive, romantic dinner dates. Normally, he'd be thinking about the kind of food these places served…instead, he found himself growing jealous of the couples below. They had someone to spend time with tonight, and he didn't. Of course, he knew it was childish to be jealous over something like this, but he wasn't used to being alone on a holiday. If it happened more often, he would definitely get used to it…not that he wanted it to happen.

That's when he thought about Renet. He didn't have a way of calling her up to spend time with him. Besides, he'd been thinking about how he felt about the Timestress ever since Donnie and Raph got their first girlfriends. Yeah, Renet was cute, bubbly, and what guy wouldn't fall for her? However, as much as he wanted to deny it…a relationship between them wouldn't work out. For one, Renet was from the future, and he was in the present. Time Lords and Timestresses probably had a rule that dating someone from the past was forbidden; a risk for messing up the timeline. Plus, Renet had to constantly travel through time, so the chances of their relationship lasting were slim.

After a while, he decided in his heart to let Renet go. Hopefully, she would find someone in her time that would give her the love she needed. Maybe she would find a handsome Time Lord in training to make her own future with.

So caught up in his thoughts about Renet, Mikey almost failed to notice the black cat running around on the rooftop. The orange-masked suddenly noticed the cat when it stopped to look at him with almost-glowing eyes. If the little guy or girl didn't have a home, then maybe he found a new friend for Ice Cream Kitty.

"Hey there, little fella." He cooed, getting up and stepping closer. "Where'd you come from?"

The cat suddenly bolted, wanting Mikey to give chase…which he did. He followed the creature down the fire escape, along a deserted street, and finally ran for a dead-end alleyway. Mikey didn't like cornering the cat, but he wanted to show he meant no harm. The moment he entered the alleyway, however, he stopped. He saw the cat, but he also saw someone picking the cat up into their arms. The figure now holding the cat remained in the shadows, but he could make out a pair amber eyes piercing through the darkness.

"Whoa…" The freckled turtle whispered.

Before he could call to the stranger, a stone and a long chain suddenly shot out and wrapped around him like a serpent, making him yelp. Mikey attempted to struggle, but this chain proved harder to get out than his own kurisagama chain. The person holding the chain decided to step out of the shadows and reveal themselves to their captive…and what Mikey saw took his breath away.

A girl…an Asian-looking girl in Gothic attire. The hat she wore reminded him of the witch costumes he saw little kids wear on Halloween; she even had gloves and boots to make her even scarier. The eyeshadow accented her amber eyes, and her dark lips curled into a smirk. To most, she would be the most frightening creature they could come across. To Mikey, however…she was the coolest creature he ever met face-to-face.

"Thank you for finding my familiar." She cooed, allowing the cat to nuzzle her shoulder. "How about a little playtime as your reward?"

"Nice…chain." Mikey ground out, wiggling until he got his arm free. When he managed to pull out one of his nunchucks, he extended the chain and hidden blade as he spoke, "Wanna see mine?"

Playing on the witchy girl's distraction, Mikey slid out of her chain and flung his. The cat jumped out of her arms in time for her to dodge his chain and disappear in a puff of red smoke and a cluster of bats. The turtle swatted the creatures away, but turned around too late to see the witchy girl swipe at him with crescent-shaped blades. Whoa, was this what Leo went through when he first met Miwa? He didn't have time to think about it; he had to keep this girl from cutting him to pieces.

"Whoa, easy!" Mikey panicked as he dodged the blades. "I didn't hurt your kitty, honest!"

"I know you didn't!" The witchy girl chuckled, ceasing her swiping and pulling out a mysterious stone. "I just want to see if you're as quick as they say…"

She started swinging the stone back and forth, some of her black hair falling over her face. Mikey followed the stone and felt his eyelids getting heavy. Wait, she was hypnotizing him, and bad things happened when you got hypnotized! The orange-masked turtle shook his head and chucked a smoke bomb at the witchy girl, watching it explode in her face and hearing her cough. When the smoke cleared, he saw her face suddenly covered in residue from the smoke. Okay, he didn't know if she was trying to kill him, but maybe a little kindness would make the attacks stop.

Mikey gingerly took off his mask and slowly offered it to the witchy girl, who looked surprised at the kind gesture. Before she could ask, he spoke, "Here…use it to clean your face. I don't mind."

She blinked, but a genuine smile came on her face when she grabbed the mask and wiped her face clean. Mikey took back the mask and put it on, but the smoke bomb residue left dark blotches around the eyes of the mask. That caused the witchy girl to laugh, and Mikey laughed in-turn.

"You're a funny turtle…and very kind, too." She spoke. She glanced over at a street clock before looking at the turtle and winking. "Sorry, but I have a friend I'm meeting. Let's play again sometime, shall we?"

"So…does that mean we'll see each other again?" He asked.

"You like to move fast, don't you?" She jested, giving him a teasing wave. "You're just as she described."

"Wait, I'm-"

In another puff of red smoke, the witchy girl was gone, leaving Mikey all alone once again. No sight of her or the cat anywhere. With a sad sigh, he looked at the ground and mumbled, "…I'm Mikey."

* * *

Michelangelo came back to the lair to find everyone had returned. Once he entered, the others took notice of him before rushing and surrounding him. The orange-masked turtle attempted to get away, but they wouldn't let him escape until they knew what happened to him.

"Mikey, where were ya?" Raph asked hastily. "We tried callin' ya to invite ya with us!"

"Yeah, we figured we'd have you meet us at Murakami's to eat gyoza!" Donnie interjected, hands on his hips. "We got you some to-go, but you seriously could've told us you couldn't show up!"

Mikey blinked before sheepishly replying, "Oh, uh, sorry, bros! I was just out getting some fresh air and lost track of time." Looking around, he noticed Splinter and Miwa were absent from the group. "Are Sensei and Sis still gone?"

Leonardo shook his head and answered, "No, they're in the kitchen talking with some friend of Miwa's from Japan. She invited her to New York to tell her about Shredder being gone." Suddenly, Leo came forward and gave his baby brother a one-armed hug. "Sorry we left you alone on Valentine's Day, Mikey. If you couldn't have gone with Donnie and Raph, I would've invited you to come with me and Andromeda."

The freckled turtle smiled and shook his head. "Nah, don't sweat it, bros. Sometimes having a little alone time does a turtle good. Besides, you wouldn't believe what all I did!"

As Mikey got ready to explain his exploits, Splinter, Miwa, and a third figure exited the kitchen. The sound of their footsteps halted the others and made them look in their direction. The moment Mikey cast his eyes upon them, he loudly gasped at the third figure in particular. Splinter and Miwa paid no heed, and the latter decided to introduce the person beside her.

"Mikey, glad you came home." She sighed in relief. She looked over to the witchy girl proudly standing next to her and announced, "This is my childhood friend from Japan. Everyone…meet Shinigami."

The older Turtles, April, Cheyloe, and Andromeda greeted Shinigami with open arms and all at once…but Mikey stood agape at her. This was the same girl he more-or-less fought in the alleyway, and now that girl had a name. Shinigami…a cool name for a cool girl. The girl in question took notice of him at last, and her eyes widened as her mouth formed an 'o' shape. The funny turtle from before, and he still had the smudges on his mask from his kind gesture. The way they stared at each other made Miwa took notice.

"What's wrong, Shini?"

Shinigami looked at her friend and asked, "This is Michelangelo, isn't it? He's just like you described! He's definitely the funny one!"

"So…your name's Shinigami?" Mikey asked breathlessly.

She smirked and spoke, "It means 'death spirit'."

A moment of silence, and Mikey replied, "Whoa, that's a cool name! A lovely name for a lovely lady, of course!"

Miwa looked between them with surprised eyes. "Wait…have you two already met each other?"

Mikey ignored Miwa's surprised comment and found himself striking up a conversation with Shinigami. For a Goth chick and actual witch, she was a conversationalist; something he already enjoyed about her. The others decided to enjoy the rest of the evening watching a marathon of rom-coms, despite Miwa remaining confused about what was unfolding, but they could still hear Mikey and Shini talking their heads off. That changed to being formally introduced to her cat, named Onajimi, followed by him introducing her to Ice Cream Kitty. That followed with him letting her try the miracle that was pizza gyoza and more talking until she decided to retire in the guest room for the evening.

He could take it back…this Valentine's Day absolutely ROCKED.

* * *

 **And there's Shinigami! I confess, I've slowly started liking the idea of Shiniangelo. Don't get me wrong, Mikey and Renet getting together is good, but I feel like it wouldn't work out because of Renet being a Timestress. She probably has to live by the rule that she can't date anyone from the past, lest it mess up the future. So, I'm going to develop things between Mikey and Shinigami, because I think a relationship between them would be pretty cute.**

 **All right, I'm still working on it, but I plan on posting the first chapter of Turtle Dove 2 tomorrow if everything works out. I'll still be writing drabbles for in-between and for the sequel, but be on the lookout for the sequel tomorrow! Well then, stay tuned!**


	21. Say Yes to the Dress

**Author's Note: I finally got this drabble done, thank goodness! Not much happens here, just some bonding between Leonardo and Andromeda as she gets accustomed to Earth. Expect some dorky, awkward Leo and a trip to the store. Read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 21: Say Yes to the Dress

"…and that's how we saved everyone from the Kraang invasion."

Leonardo finished recounting the time he and his brothers saved the people of New York from Dimension X to the silent Andromeda. To his disappointment, she didn't show any awe…actually, she didn't show _anything_. The 'mechanical maiden', as Mikey dubbed her, simply stared in observance at the turtle in blue as he told her tales of their exploits. All to teach her about Earth, just as Fugitoid wanted. Besides learning since she became a permanent resident at the lair, Andromeda also underwent studies by Donatello on what made her qualify to be more cyborg than robot. That was a work in progress.

In all that time, she never cracked a smile.

Leo tried everything, even resorting to pulling a Mikey, but her lips never twitched. Donnie said her human design should allow for her to feel emotions, so why wasn't she expressing it? Maybe he was boring her with his stories or his Space Heroes talk. Maybe he had to try a different approach…

"But enough about me!" Leo rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "Is there anything YOU want to talk about?"

Andromeda stared at him for a moment, and Leo believed she just ignored his question or had nothing to talk about. When the blue-masked turtle started to sigh, she finally decided to speak up.

"According to your stories, you often have a habit of putting your life at risk for your family." Andromeda held up a metallic finger when she made her analysis so Leo wouldn't interrupt. Her eyes shifted and went upon Miwa entering the dojo, adding, "You also risked your life to show Miwa how 'cool' you are, even when it caused extensive bodily harm to you or others."

Leo immediately shrunk back and tapped his fingers together as a sheepish grin appeared. "…Not any of my best moments."

There was a flash of something in the robotic girl's eyes once Miwa was out of view; to Leo, she almost looked like she'd been studying her the entire time. It disappeared as quickly as it came once her eyes went back to him.

"Do you still love Miwa?" She asked carefully.

Leo immediately blinked. Did Andromeda mean if he still had feelings for Miwa? Was she asking him this because she felt…jealous? It bothered him that Andromeda was possibly jealous, especially when they only knew each other for maybe two months and he never considered THAT possibility. Regardless, there was no need for any jealousy to take root, and Leo came to terms with his feelings being nothing more than a crush.

"Of course I love her." Leo answered confidently. "She's my sister, after all. We love each other as a family, just as you love your father because he's your family." The turtle noticed that she seemed unreactive concerning her father, but summed it up to her having a hard time expressing emotions. "You…do love your father, don't you?"

"…Yes." She answered, despite a moment of hesitation. Suddenly, she looked down, and almost seemed unsure of what to say now. "There was one other person I loved…but she is not here anymore."

Leo's features slackened. "And…who was this person?"

Andromeda didn't know why, but she didn't want to answer that question yet. Perhaps it was unnecessary…perhaps it was too painful to answer. Instead, she stared at the entryway of the lair, then back at herself, and back to the entryway. "Leonardo, may I make a request?"

"Uh…sure." The blue-masked turtle replied slowly. "What do you want?"

She picked up a magazine featuring an ad from a local retail store, pointing at one of the pictures in question. "I would like to visit this store and purchase new clothes. Would you accompany me there?"

Leo almost jumped back in shock. "Go with you inside the store? No offense, Andromeda, but a mutant like me can't exactly walk inside a store filled with humans. May I add humans that're still wary of mutants after the whole anti-mutant movement?"

Andromeda apparently didn't lose any of her determination. "There are trench coats and large clothes in the storage closet. I am sure you will be stealthy enough in them." Suddenly, she averted her eyes and confessed, "I would ask April O'Neil or Hamato Miwa to come with me, but I prefer your company. After all, Father designated YOU to teach me about Earth, correct?"

Well, that was true. For some unexplained reason, Fugitoid deemed him the one to help Andromeda live comfortably on Earth. Not Donnie. Not April. Not even Mikey or Raph or Splinter. Him. What they found worthy in him, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to disappoint Fugitoid or Andromeda. He would make sure her experience on Earth would be the best experience in her life. Sure, she probably traveled to space and saw planets greater than Earth, but she would like it here…right?

"…I'll suit up."

* * *

Leo ignored the awkward stares from the other store-goers and pulled his scarf further up his snout. Though it was night, it was a warm summer night, and the blue-masked turtle could feel sweat soaking into his trench coat. Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly shed his garb and expose himself to the still mutant-wary public. He decided to endure the heat from the summer and broken air conditioning to stand guard next to the fitting room. When Andromeda wanted to pick out clothes, he figured she'd try on maybe one or two outfits that were to her liking.

No…she was going to try on TEN different sets of clothes.

He could never imagine Miwa doing this; she'd just pick what she wanted and go. But to be fair, Andromeda never wore Earth clothes before, and had to be overwhelmed by everything here. So if she wanted to have fun trying on clothes, he'd give her that…within a reasonable time-frame, that is.

"Andromeda, are you almost done?"

"I am on my eighth blouse and skirt. I am attempting to fight the correct pieces to create a suitable uniform for Earth culture."

Leo sighed and ducked his head lower. "Did Fugitoid give you enough money? Before you ask, no, I'm not going to ask Sensei for his emergency credit card."

"I assure you, Leonardo, my father gave me enough Earth credits to purchase simple clothes." Andromeda spoke from behind the dressing room door.

 _'_ _What'd he do, leave her an entire bank account?'_ Leo ignored the snide thought in his head and still debated whether or not Fugitoid actually left her usable money. He chastised himself a moment later for thinking such a thing. For one, Andromeda was just like him and his brothers when they first came to the surface world: she was still learning how to adapt. Fugitoid wouldn't just leave her to the wolves, either. So if he had a way to ensure his daughter could survive, Leo had to believe it was possible.

"I am finished, Leonardo."

Leo turned his head the moment the door opened. When he saw Andromeda, his cheeks immediately darkened and he blinked his eyes several times to ensure they worked correctly. She came out wearing a mint-green turtleneck sweater and a long, black skirt with a green floral pattern stitched into it. When he looked at her hands, he took notice of the mint-green opera gloves to hide away their mechanical properties. Leo's mouth formed into an 'o' shape as he took in her attire, barely visible from behind his scarf.

"Are you all right, Leonardo?" She asked, a hint of worry in her tone. "Your heart rate is elevated."

Leo shook his head and laughed nervously. "N-No, no, it's just…it's just kind of hot in here!" He pretended to tug at his trench coat and hoped she would be fooled. "But…Andromeda, you look…y-you look…"

Andromeda tilted her head to the side. "Look what?"

Struggling to find the right words, the blue-masked turtle blurted out, "You look beautiful!"

The other women in the store suddenly looked away from the clothes racks and onto the suddenly-embarrassed turtle. They all stayed silent, but an older woman suddenly started cooing over 'young love', a group of teenage girls giggled giddily, and one woman complained that she wished her husband was that honest. That made Leo's embarrassment grow, and he buried his snout back into his scarf and prayed Andromeda wouldn't grow angry at the compliment. However…

"Thank you, Leonardo."

When Leo looked up to meet Andromeda's gaze, he found himself perplexed, amazed even. She was smiling. The previously-devoid-of-emotion Andromeda was _smiling_ at him. It was a small, gentle smile, yes, but it was a smile all the same. The leader in blue felt a sense of pride in getting her to show an emotion, and her truly feeling it was even better. His cheeks darkened ever further as he started understanding what it was like for Donnie and Raph. Wait, was he…

Then he noticed Andromeda's strawberry-blonde bangs in her eyes, and he glanced over to an accessory stand. "Oh, hold on, Andromeda." Leo rushed forward and picked up a black head band, matching one April recently bought, and gently placed it on her head. He turned her towards a near mirror and asked, "How does that look?"

Andromeda stared at her image wearing the head band, taking her fingers and touching the accessory. The smile she had a moment ago returned after taking in the image. "It is lovely, Leonardo. I believe this outfit will be satisfactory."

Leo blinked in surprise. "But…what about all those other outfits you tried on?"

"Those are unnecessary. I have noticed the spike in your body temperature due to the poor air conditioning, and my 'piddling around' would have worsened it." With the outfit on, Andromeda walked to the cash register and allowed the clerk to scan the tags, adding, "I also do not wish to further break your father's rule of being in public for too long. For that, I apologize, Leonardo."

Leo honestly felt touched that Andromeda would do that for him. He didn't mind accompanying her on this shopping trip, but for her to know that the heat bothered him and offer to choose just one outfit took him aback. Perhaps that meant she would ask April or Miwa or Cheyloe to accompany her from now on. But if she ever asked him to take her somewhere around town that didn't involve stores, he'd gladly accept. He was still the host…and now, he could feel confident enough to call himself her friend.

"Leonardo, may I make another request?"

After watching her pay the total and following her out of the store, he responded to her question, "What is it?"

"You have a nickname, and you and your brothers give each other nicknames, since many find your full names complicated. Even Cheyloe Doggett has a nickname, and you call April O'Neil 'Ape'." Fiddling with the tags on her newly-purchased clothes, she asked, "May I also request a nickname to feel belonging in your group?"

"What…Andromeda, you've belonged with us the day you came here!" Leo contested. "But if you want a nickname, I'll be happy to give you one." He thought about a possible nickname that could compliment Andromeda. He and his brothers had nicknames that were just their names shortened, since very few kids these days were named after Renaissance artists. Why not just shorten her name, too? "Hmm…how about we call you Andie?"

Andromeda blinked and registered the information. With a confident nod, she replied, "Andie is a fitting nickname. From now on, you may refer to me as Andie, and I will cherish this nickname…Leo."

Leo smiled brightly and took off his hat and scarf once they were out of view. "Really? T-That's great! Well then, let's go to one of my favorite places and enjoy the view! What do you say, Andie?"

Andie saw Leo extend his hand to her, and gingerly reached out to take it. "As you wish."

* * *

 **You may be wondering who the person is Andie lost, but that'll be revealed later once she's comfortable revealing it. Next up will be the one you've all been waiting for...a visit from the 1987 Turtles! There will be dimensional crossovers, a chase by an overzealous police officer, and Donnie having to give some advice to his 1987 counterpart. Until then, stay tuned!**


	22. Dimension 87 or Bust, Part 1

**Author's Note: And now the drabble you've been waiting for...we're going to meet the 1987 Turtles! This drabble will be short, but it's a two-parter. We'll be seeing plenty of them, Shredder and Krang, and an overzealous police officer intent on chasing all the turtles down. Well, be sure to enjoy, read, and review!**

* * *

Drabble 22: Dimension 87 or Bust, Part 1

"And that's when Shinigami chucked a bat at Raph's face!"

Donatello heard Cheyloe laugh on the other end, louder with his T-Phone pressed to the side of his head while he worked. One of their daily rituals was to call each other when Chey had break time and talk about random subjects. Today's subject was one of Donnie's recent projects and Raph getting on Shinigami's bad side. Raph ended up retreating and grumbling about bats being 'giant, furry mosquitoes'. The others busied themselves with other things, and that left Donnie enough time to talk with his girlfriend.

"So, dealing with any interesting patients today?" Donnie asked.

 _"_ _Oh, just the usual. I'm tough enough to handle them without back up, though."_ Chey chuckled. _"How's that new project coming along?"_

"You mean tweaking that old Kraang portal projector? It's…coming along, I suppose." The genius turtle held the device in question up and straightened up a few wires and screws that popped out of the side. "This thing got beyond trashed during the Kraang invasion, so I don't even know if it still works. But if I can fix it up, then perhaps we can take a trip to any dimension we wish!" He coughed and quickly added, "As long as it's not Dimension X."

 _"_ _Bishop and those Utrom guys are keeping the leftover Kraang on a tight leash, right? What's the chance that they'll come back?"_

Donnie shrugged and replied, "No signs of Kraang Prime or Kraang Subprime after the Triceratons came, so I doubt they'll be back again. That doesn't mean we can use dimensional travel for ourselves, though."

He spoke the second sentence with a sly grin, holding the portal device up to the light. The projector seemed to radiate a faint warmth against his fingers, and not from the beaming light above. "I'll have this thing working in no time, and then we'll get away to some eternal beach dimension!"

 _"_ _Donnie, if there's anyone that can do it, I know it's you!"_ He could hear something going off in the background, and Cheyloe yelped, _"Uh-oh, a code green. I'd better take care of that! Talk later, Donnie! Bye!"_

Donnie couldn't help but chuckle once Cheyloe hung up; always the dedicated workaholic. He could understand, since it was one of the things they had in common. Setting the T-Phone down, he went back to the portal projector and closed the casing, pushing stray wires back in and tightening the last few screws. Right about that time, the lab doors opened with a shrill scrape, causing Donnie to yelp and almost drop the delicate device. The one opening the door was none-other than Mikey, followed surprisingly by Leo and Raph.

"Give a turtle a heart attack, will you!?" Donnie scolded.

"Sorry, D." Mikey apologized quickly. Blue eyes caught the projector in his brother's hands, and he immediately zoomed over the get a closer look. "Whoa, is that the Kraang portal projector-thing!? I didn't know you still had it!"

"Careful!" The genius turtle yanked the device away from Mikey and cradled it to his plastron. "I just repaired it, and I haven't tested it yet. The Kraang Invasion left it pretty banged up. I spent a week repairing it, after all."

Leo warily eyed the device and inquired, "What exactly do you intend to do with it, Donnie? The Kraang aren't a problem anymore, thanks to Bishop."

Donnie immediately got up from his chair and gave another sly smile, holding the device up for his brothers to see. "Since the Kraang can no longer use this for sinister purposes, I can get back to doing what I do best: reverse-engineering it to better our lives! Just think about the benefits of interdimensional travel…we could make discoveries that would revolutionize even the microscopic aspects of our daily lives! Wouldn't that be great!?" Realizing he got carried away, Donnie cleared his throat and added, "Plus, we could go on vacation to whatever dimension we wished."

"An' you're sure it's safe?" Raph asked skeptically. "What if it takes us to the unbreathable Dimension X?"

Donnie scoffed, "Raph, this thing isn't unpredictable like most Kraang tech. It's pretty much just an interdimensional garage door-opener. Press the button, find a portal, jump through, repeat." He held the device up again and gleefully readied himself to press the button. "The moment of truth…it's time for interdimensional travel!"

On reflex, the other turtles squeezed their eyes shut and backed away. Just as Donnie readied to press the projector button, all four took notice of a slight rumbling beneath them. It stopped as soon as it began, but Mikey was the first to notice a change through a loud scream. The others turned and…Mikey started to disintegrate. Actually, ALL of them started to disintegrate into nothing.

"Donnie, what's going on!?" Raph angrily asked.

"I-I don't know!" Donnie panicked. "I-I didn't even activate the projector!"

The Turtles didn't have time to get away or process the situation before they completely disappeared with an echoed scream.

* * *

The blinding light consuming them faded, but a different light took its place. Not the glow of the lab lights…no, it felt like sunlight. Did they wind up outside? If it just took them outside to the city, then they could get back to the lair in an instant. But…something didn't feel right.

The brothers opened their eyes and made a shocking observation: if this was New York, it wasn't _their_ New York. Every part of their surroundings looked flat, almost like they stepped into an episode of _Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew_. Come to think of it, this city looked almost like they went back in time twenty or thirty years ago. The people walking down below had on gaudy clothing, hairstyles, and blaring pop and rock music sounded from some guy's boombox. In their New York, people carried around MP3s and smartphones, not bulky boomboxes. A local discount cinema advertised viewings of old sci-fi films and coming-of-age films, and they could see kids flooding into a video arcade.

Then they looked at themselves. Like the environment around them, they also became flat. Two-dimensional, almost. So they weren't dead, and they weren't in their New York. Donnie still had the projector in his hand, yet knew he never pressed the button. That gave him a quick, somewhat-frightening conclusion.

"Guys…I think someone else brought us here."

The others stared at Donnie as though he grew a second head. Shock wearing off, Leo asked point-blank, "You didn't push the button…so who else has the means to bring us here?"

"It still works!"

The Turtles jumped at the excited voice. Well, that already seemed to prove Donnie's hypothesis correct. Who brought them here and why, though? That's when they turned to look behind them and saw four…mutant…turtles.

"…Am I seeing…what I think I'm seeing?" Leo asked in a low voice.

The four turtles appearing behind them had on masks the same colors as theirs, but besides that and the obvious 'mutant turtle' classification, the similarities seemed to end there. These turtles were shorter and chubbier compared to them, shared two-toed feet, had huge eyes, large beaks, and wore belt buckles with the letters L, R, D, and M on them. Even their weapons were the same, now that they got a closer look. Wait a minute…

"These are the guys we saw in that portal!" Mikey exclaimed, pointing at the strange turtles. "Remember when we were dealing with those Kraang worms? We saw them and another April and Casey!"

They did remember looking through the multitude of portals, and Mikey's statement jogged their memory. They DID see these guys before…but were they the ones who transported them here?

"So you jokesters sent that overgrown slug here?" The red-banded turtle-who sounded strangely like Donnie-snorted. "Did you send Tony the Tiger, too?"

"Dude, he was like Tony the Tiger on 'roids!" The other orange-banded turtle added with a heavy surfer accent. "We got, like, creamed!"

Raph blinked, "Wait, these guys met Tiger Claw? I wondered where he and that Kraang worm went to."

Donnie suddenly looked over at his apparent purple-banded twin and saw a device that looked eerily like a laser gun. Said device was pointed right at their faces and prompted Donnie in a panic. Since they found out they did send Tiger Claw and the Kraathatrogon to their dimension, would they want revenge? He wasn't about to wait and find out.

"He's pointing a gun at us!" Donnie shouted.

The other purple-banded turtle looked at the device and quickly tried to insist, "N-No, it's not a gun! It's a-"

Leo wasted no time in unsheathing his katana and pointing it at the four imposters. His eye narrowed at the purple-banded one and coldly commanded, "Drop the weapon." He saw the frightened turtle hesitate, and he spoke louder, "I said drop the weapon!"

Before the command could be fulfilled, the blue-banded double suddenly jumped in. "Stop! It's not a weapon! Donatello was just testing out his portal projector, and it happened to bring the four of you here! We mean no harm!"

"Listen to Leonardo! Sheesh, they're just like that officer always chasing us." The red-banded double jabbed.

Donnie immediately blinked. "Did you say portal projector? As in…" He glanced back at the remote in his hand before quickly stuffing it into his belt. In case something happened that the other Donatello's broke, that would come in handy. "So, apart from the obvious, where are we?"

"Well, you're in New York, dude!" The other orange-banded turtle answered. "You've already met Leonardo and Donatello. The bro in red is Raphael, and I'm Michelangelo!"

The four looked at each other and didn't know whether to introduce themselves as well. This other Michelangelo sounded like he'd been hitting a stash of 'special' brownies, the other Raphael was nothing but a deadpan snarker, but the other Leonardo and Donatello seemed all right. Maybe if luck was on their side, they'd meet the other April and Casey. Still, the brothers couldn't help but be suspicious that the other Donatello brought them here for a reason other than testing out his portal projector. With all their experiences, nothing was just a 'test run'. If any of them played any dirty tricks, they'd be ready to take them down.

"So, did you really bring us here for a test run?" Donnie interrogated. "Or did you bring us for another purpose?"

Donatello scoffed and curtly replied, "I DID bring you here by accident! Don't have this asinine assumption that there's a huge conspiracy going around. After we did battle with Shredder with our counterparts from another dimension, I just wanted to make sure this baby still worked."

"So, you guys have your own Shredder, too." Leo murmured. "At least ours is gone, but knowing another exists…"

Leonardo's eyes widened. "So you have a Shredder AND you defeated him? I wish it was that simple with our Shredder, but as long as he's in allegiance with Krang, he's a never-ending headache!"

"Counting dino-aliens, giant monkeys, dimwitted mutants, and overzealous police officers, too?" Raphael cut in without wasting a breath. "Instead of listening to these guys go all dark and serious, why don't we show 'em around before SHE shows up again?"

Mikey suddenly bounded forward and happened to glance at the Channel 6 building behind their doubles. "Maybe we can meet their April and Casey! Do you guys have a Splinter, too? Ooh, I'd LOVE to meet their Shinigami…"

"Shinigami? What's he talkin' about, bros?" Michelangelo scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the abundant enthusiasm of his double. "Never heard of a Shinigami, whoever that is. You sure you're not, like, talking about Lotus Blossom or Tempestra?"

Mikey suddenly sighed in disappointment at the news that this dimension had no Shinigami; probably no Renet, either. Leo seemed to take interest at this Lotus Blossom, and he secretly began wondering if this dimension had an Andromeda. Raph still processed the fact that his double sounded more and acted more like Donnie instead of the other Donatello. As for Donnie, he opened his mouth to ask more questions when an explosion nearby grabbed their attention. All four went to the edge of the building and looked down at the chaos erupting at a nearby chemical factory. Apparently, a bomb went off and blew a hole in the front. Amidst the billowing cloud of smoke, two burly figures stepped out of the rubble, ignoring the people running around in a panic. One was an overweight humanoid warthog with tacky purple glasses and a purple mohawk. The other was a muscular humanoid rhino wearing a yellow wife-beater and sporting a helmet.

"Is that…" Leo started slowly.

"…Bebop and Rocksteady!?" Raph finished in pure shock.

"I'm guessing you have a Bebop and Rocksteady in your dimension, too?" Leonardo questioned curiously, looking between the other four turtles and the two mutants in question. "Well, since you're here, why don't you help us stop them? They're obviously doing some more of Shredder and Krang's dirty work."

Leo bit his lip in hesitation, but quickly sighed and drew out his katana. "Well, while we're here, we can't let them go unpunished. All right, let's go!"

Leonardo and his brothers readied themselves to jump, all four of them shouting, "Turtle Power-"

"Hold it right there!"

The eight turtles froze when they heard the strict command echo behind them. At first, they paid no heed to the command, as the important matter was about to get away from them. It became clear they _had_ to obey the command when they heard the familiar click that came from a revolver. They finally willed themselves to turn around, and the first four turtles were stunned to see a woman in a blue uniform pointing a revolver at them. Just their luck, they had to be discovered by a police officer, though it bothered them that one would catch them on the rooftop. The turtles of this dimension, however, didn't seem that surprised to see her.

"Uh-oh…it's Officer Doggett again!" Leonardo declared.

"I told you she'd wouldn't stop chasing us!" Raphael deadpanned. "She'd never give up chasing us if it gets her a promotion."

Donnie suddenly gulped when he heard the name. "D-Did you say…Officer Doggett?"

Once he got a better look at the policewoman, he could see it now. The short brown hair, teal-colored eyes, large earrings, knowledge of a gun…the only difference was the choice of profession. Not the kind, compassionate nurse he knew, but a cold and determined officer of the law.

They officially came face-to-face with this dimension's Cheyloe…and she wasn't friendly.

* * *

 **I'm hoping I got the '87 Turtles down, since it's been a while since I watched episodes of the series or watched "Transdimensional Turtles". But yeah, if you haven't guessed it, the police officer is Cheyloe. In the '87 'verse, she's a police officer instead of a nurse, and mistakes the Turtles for villains and attempts to arrest them. Will she come around? What are Bebop and Rocksteady planning? Will there be a big showdown between all eight turtles and Shredder and Krang? Well, wait for part 2 and find out!**

 **The drabble after these two will be a Raphril drabble, and it's based off the episode of X-Men: Evolution when Jean loses control of her powers (with a few hidden easter eggs from "The Power Inside Her"). Until then, stay tuned!**


	23. Dimension 87 or Bust, Part 2

**Author's Note: I finally, FINALLY got this updated! So sorry for the long wait on this. A lot of it's been due to focusing on other stories, but also because I had trouble writing about the '87 Turtles. Hopefully, though, I got it down. And I apologize if this seems all-over-the-place, but perhaps it'll match with the all-over-the-place atmosphere of the '87 cartoon. Anyway, enough rambling! Let's get this show on the road, and be sure to read and review!**

* * *

Drabble 23: Dimension 87 or Bust, Part 2

"D-Did you say…Officer Doggett?"

Donnie stood flabbergasted at seeing this dimension's Cheyloe. Unlike the Cheyloe he knew, who wouldn't hurt him for the world, this one had her gun pointed right at him. He had three guesses as to what made her personality: either she was a by-the-book cop who cared nothing for mutants and more for her job…or just an overzealous cop jumping to conclusions to prove her worth to her superiors. After all, why else would she be chasing around these other turtles? Now, though, it looked like she had four more turtles to add to her roster. Once that shocked look on her face wore off, that is.

"What…EIGHT turtles!? Officer Doggett exclaimed, lowering her gun in shock. "How am I gonna fit eight of them in the cruiser!? Maybe I can borrow the SWAT team's van." It was then she remembered they were right in front of her and raised her gun again. "If I can get eight of them, then I'll be the hero of the city! The chief'll see my skills once and for all!"

"Hey, don't get too distracted talking to yourself, flat-foot!" Raphael jeered. "In case you haven't noticed, the real bad guys are down _there_!"

The officer saw the red-masked snarker pointing down at the chaos below, hesitated for a moment, but frowned at the Turtles and kept her gun up. "How do I know you're not working together? You could just be distracting me while they get away with the goods!"

"Distracting you? You came looking for us!" Donatello argued. "A good police officer doesn't jump to conclusions!"

Leonardo glanced down at the street and saw Bebop and Rocksteady getting further and further away from the factory and shoving through screaming people. If he wasn't such a nice turtle, he would've told the officer where to stick her attitude. "We don't have time for this! If we don't catch those two, Shredder will get his hands on who-knows-what kinds of dangerous chemicals!"

Donnie didn't know at first what would happen if they messed with anything-or anyone-from this dimension, but this Cheyloe would make his Cheyloe embarrassed. He pulled out a smoke bomb and shouted, "I got this!" He swiftly threw the smoke bomb at the officer, muttering, "Sorry, Cheyloe…"

All eight turtles fled right as the bomb made contact and filled Officer Doggett's face with purple smoke. She coughed and hacked and dropped her gun, waving away as much of the smoke as she could. When it cleared…the targets were gone. She mentally cursed herself for allowing them to slip away once again; now the chief would probably demote her for being so incompetent. However, something that tall turtle said stuck out, and her frustration left, now finding herself dumbstruck.

"…How did he know my name?"

* * *

"How did you know her name?" Leonardo asked from a faraway rooftop.

"It was a lucky guess!" Donnie replied, breathing loudly in their pursuit of Bebop and Rocksteady. "That, and we have a Cheyloe in our dimension that's much nicer than that one!"

The eight turtles were in hot pursuit of Bebop and Rocksteady, who now loaded their stolen goods in a truck and sped away. Running along the rooftops wouldn't be enough to catch a speeding vehicle, even if the drivers in question were idiots. Raph immediately pulled shuriken from his belt and flung them at the already-worn tires of the truck. They watched the tires pop and the truck fishtailing until it skidded to a halt. The surrounding people ran in different directions away from the vehicle when the overweight mutants jumped out of the vehicle in a fury. The turtles decided now was the time to attack and jumped after the duo.

"Whoa, did I hit my head, or is there _eight_ turtles?" Bebop snorted, rubbing his eyes underneath his tacky sunglasses.

"Four's enough for me!" Rocksteady grunted before drawing his gun out. "Let's blast 'em all! We ain't gonna keep Master Shredder waiting on the stash!"

The moment this dimension's Rocksteady took aim, the turtles hit the deck. Leo and his brothers immediately drew their weapons and prepared to charge, but stopped when Leonardo and his brothers immediately attacked. Once the fight started, it became clear to them that these chubbier-looking turtles weren't in their league in agility. Punches were exchanged, but it seemed this Bebop and Rocksteady had a lot more durability than their own. With this dimension's turtles cornered, Raph suddenly noticed who was underneath a tall light pole.

"Leo, cut that down!" Raph called.

Leo took Raph's cue and jumped behind the pole while the others distracted Bebop and Rocksteady, confusing the turtles of this dimension. The leader in blue unsheathed his katana and surprised himself when he sliced through the light pole like butter. And just like in the movies, Bebop and Rocksteady didn't have the knowledge to move to the side when the pole came down with a satisfying BANG on their skulls.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Leonardo asked, clearly impressed by his counterpart.

The larger mutants fell in a daze, prompting the turtles to go to the truck and check out what was stolen. Besides a cache of explosives handy for breaking and entering, there were several containers of chemicals. Donnie looked over them and couldn't recognize the names, so he figured them to be of unearthly origin. Donatello, however, seemed to know these substances and what they were used for.

"Nyotrinaline? Taxon-9? Bindex3?" The smaller turtle in purple read aloud. "They're gathering supplies to make more mutagen!"

Mikey was the only one to show surprise. "Wait, so your mutagen doesn't come from giant alien worms?"

"No, Plucky! Krang and Shredder use these to make mutagen!" Raphael waved his hand in front of the substances before flicking Mikey on the forehead. "It either makes handsome guys like us, or numbskulls like Laurel and Hardy over there."

"But, like, if they're stealing this stuff, then Shredder and Krang would make a mutant army! Then they could take over the Big Apple!" Michelangelo realized. "Oh man, I could use a pizza to calm the ninja nerves, dudes…"

 _And I thought our Mikey was obsessed with pizza._ "Well, if they want a mutant army, why don't we take THIS army and pound 'em into the dirt? Then maybe we can get home and out of this two-dimensional circus!" Raph cracked his knuckles and ignored the frowns of the chubbier turtles. "So where do we find Krang and your Shredder?"

Donatello replied, "Where else? The Technodrome!"

Donnie put his hands on his hips and glared at his counterpart. "And where is _that_?"

The turtles of this dimension looked at each other, then answered simultaneously, "Underneath New York."

Well, why didn't they just say so in the first place? They could've just said 'underground lair' or under the ocean where their Technodrome once resided. These other turtles were, to put it lightly, goofballs. And their Bebop and Rocksteady were complete idiots compared to their Bebop and Rocksteady. The Cheyloe here was a jerk compared to their Cheyloe back home, and they dreaded what the April and Casey here were like. All of this made them more than determined to get back home, and if helping these guys was the requirement, so be it. They'd just grin and bear it.

"Not so fast, turtles!"

All eight turtles groaned at the female voice, and immediately made a run for the underground.

* * *

 _Later…_

"So, uh, what are your April and Casey like?"

Leonardo looked at Leo, appreciating the attempt to get to know each other, and decided to participate. "Our April always gets herself into trouble for a good story, and we always have to rescue her. We don't talk much with Casey Jones, but…he's a little out of his gourd."

"A little? The guy doesn't even take his mask off for a job interview!" Raphael scoffed. "Then you've got man-hungry girls like Irma desperate enough to want to date _us_!"

"Well, our April's training to be a kunoichi and dating Raph here, and our Casey's smarter than he lets on. Kind of crazy, but always helps a bro out." Mikey described. He was more than happy to try and get along with the other turtles, especially the brother from another mother that was his double. "Our Irma turned out to be a Kraang in a robot body. Our Cheyloe's really sweet and takes care of us when we're down. Isn't that right, Donnie?"

Donnie couldn't help but blush, drawing the attention of his double. Hearing about the other turtles' dimension sparked interest, and made him want to travel there just to see the differences. An April that would actually defend herself from harm, a Casey Jones who used his head more often, and a Cheyloe that actually put other's interests before her own. He didn't know what to think of their Irma being a robot, but the positives outweighed the negatives. Then he thought of what the freckled Michelangelo said about their April dating the green-eyed Raphael. There were implications that the other Donatello had some sort of relationship with the nicer Cheyloe.

So they actually had a chance with humans in their dimension? Despite telling himself that he never was that interested in humans, he found himself filling with envy.

"Question…is this your Technodrome?"

Donnie pointed to the large metal sphere in the deepest recesses of the underground cavern. Unlike their Technodrome, this one had tank treads for transportation, four laser-type cannons, and an eye mounted on top. However, the fortress from their dimension actually looked threatening. This one just looked goofy the more they looked at it. How anybody could be intimidated by it, they didn't know. But if these turtles believed it was a legitimate threat, they'd believe them and stop it and the villains inside. It couldn't be hard to beat them like they did Bebop and Rocksteady, right?

Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey realized they underestimated their opponents when they saw the massive amount of ninjas present. All clad in purple, faces unseen, and with red footprints on their masks. None of them moved from their places. The eight turtles attempted to sneak past them and get to the control room of the Technodrome. But as they managed to near the next room of this metal labyrinth, Michelangelo carelessly tripped over an exposed cable and fell with a loud thud. The echo of the fall awoke the ninjas from their trance and they all charged.

Seeing their counterparts draw their weapons, Donatello stated, "You don't have to hold back! They're all robots!"

With that bit of information, all eight turtles charged and began hacking, slashing, stabbing, and bludgeoning the robotic soldiers into scrap metal and wires. The turtles of this dimension employed unusual tactics such as rolling them with their legs and tossing them in the air, or even swinging from any overhead structures and attacking. Of course, who were they to judge; they threw beehives at their enemies. But they had no beehives here, so they had to rely on their agility and strength to beat these things. At least these couldn't adapt to their moves like the Foot Bots of their dimension did.

"So, you are foolish enough to attack in our domain, turtles?"

The eight of them looked to the two figures entering the room: a man clad in armor and a cape, and a pink alien creature in a robotic suit. Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey stood still in their presence; seeing another Shredder and Kraang was too soon. The more they looked at them, though, the more they realized how ridiculous that Krang guy looked in his robotic suit. The suit didn't even look human enough to fool people. But their counterparts from this dimension saw them as a legitimate threat, so perhaps looks could be deceiving.

"Shredder and Krang, right?" Leo asked in low tone.

Krang croaked and rubbed his eyes in confusion. "There's _eight_ of them? So it seems they've discovered interdimensional travel, too!"

Shredder let out an evil laugh and arrogantly crossed his spiked arms. "They're so desperate to defeat us that they actually called for help. As if more turtles will stop me!"

Raph didn't know who annoyed him more: their long-gone Shredder, or this melodramatic lookalike. "Whoa, hey, these jokers brought us here by accident-"

"We won't let you create any mutagen today, Shredder!" Leonardo interrupted Raph and pointed the tip of his sword at Shredder and Krang, hoping to look threatening enough so they would cower down. "We and our new friends here will stop you here and now!"

Donnie didn't know if they officially agreed to this or could consider these other turtles 'friends', but no dimension needed a Shredder or Kraang to deal with. No matter how different their dimensions were, both were worth protecting, even when there were jerks like most New Yorkers and, unfortunately, this dimension's Cheyloe. Small or great, these two were still a threat. The only positive seemed to be that this Shredder didn't have a Karai or Tang Shen to obsess over, and Krang didn't attempt to experiment on April. They wouldn't let history repeat itself, regardless of the differences.

"I finally found all of you!"

Oh, great.

The eight turtles, Shredder, and Krang saw Officer Doggett running into the room in ragged breaths. A moment of awkward silence, save for her panting, and they watched the officer straighten up and flash her badge. Well, at least she shared Chey's persistence. But it impressed and horrified the eight turtles that she snuck into the Technodrome _unnoticed_ just to apprehend them. Impressive, horrifying…but also reckless to the point of being idiotic.

"I knew it! You're all conspiring together!" She boldly declared while pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "I'm going to arrest all of you for your crimes!"

Shredder and Krang exchanged annoyed glances before staring down at the policewoman. No sooner did they look at her did a robotic Foot soldier come up from behind and grab her arms. The turtles watched her flail in its grasp and attempt to get free, but shifted their focus back on the villains. As much as they hated to do this, they'd stop the bad guys first, then do the rescuing later. Everyone that ever got captured fared better after the bad guys were taken out; the last time they did the rescuing first, Miwa was mutated.

The eight turtles immediately went after Shredder and Krang. They failed to notice Officer Doggett suddenly pull out her pistol and shoot the Foot robot in the head. Now free from its hold, she noticed something on the computer console, and her sleuthing instincts told her to panic. Then she looked at the eight turtles fighting that armored goon and the pink blob. She still had her sights on arresting them, but perhaps she would cooperate for now and alert them of the bigger issue at hand.

"Hey, they're about to launch some sort of goo-filled missile at all of New York!"

Donnie and Donatello took a second to look at the screen and confirm her warning. Sure enough, an image of a retro New York City was displayed along with a target, counter, and a missile filled with a green liquid. This wasn't an attempt at destroying the city; this was a plan to mutate the entire NYC populace. And if the two geniuses deduced correctly, Bebop and Rocksteady gathering mutagen ingredients meant they could launch mutagen missiles all over the world. They really would have a mutant army, then. Well, what better way to stop a launch program than to hack the system? Who better to stop it than the two turtles who did machines?

"Hey, you guys keep them busy! We'll disarm the missile!" Donnie shouted.

And keep them busy they did. Leo, Raph, and Mikey quickly found out that this Shredder wasn't exactly the pounding-you-to-near-death foe their Shredder was; he only seemed good at looking intimidating. Krang was durable, but slow to the point that a kick from three turtles toppled him over. Their only good quality was their persistence, which prompted the two turtles in purple to hurry.

"This thing's password-protected! The password has to be something obvious if it's Shredder!" Donatello scrambled with the keys and kept seeing red incorrect signs on the screen. Typing the keys turned into banging his fists on the keyboard in desperation. "C'mon, brain, work for me!"

"Step back, I got this!"

Donnie took over and furiously tapped the keys, hoping for a good result. After feverish typing to the point his fingers felt sore, the screen finally flashed green with a password correct…only for it to flash red a second later. In a cry of frustration, Donnie found himself giving the console a swift kick. Before he could grab his foot and hold it in pain, the screen flashed the desired green and gave him control.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Donnie exclaimed in surprise.

Donatello couldn't help but laugh. "Sometimes the solution's just that simple."

The two geniuses worked with the computer and successfully aborted the missile launch. They could hear Krang and Shredder give out cries of defeat at their thwarted plans…but if they thought that was bad, they were in for a treat. The two Donatellos glanced at each other with sly smiles as the slender one casually pressed a button. Said button made several security laser blasters appear from hatches in the ceiling and walls and aim directly at the two villains. Shredder and Krang could only gulp as the blasters fired up…

The eight turtles and policewoman took the sudden blasts as a sign to leave immediately. The last thing they heard as the exited were the pain-filled cries of the two villains. They reentered the cavern and fought to catch their breaths, and they believed it was all over. Unfortunately, there was one thing they didn't count on.

"Now that that's over…" Officer Doggett flashed her handcuffs again and moved towards the turtles. "You're under arrest!"

Leo grew angry and stepped in front of her. "For what!? We kept them from mutating the city, and you still think we're working for them!?"

"You must really be blinded by that big ol' promotion, sister!" Raphael sneered, Raph joining him in giving her a stare-down. "We know people that can prove you wrong!"

"Well I have evidence that whenever there's trouble, you guys are there! And these other four are joining in your mischief, too!" She shot back with confidence that bordered on arrogance. "Whatever game you guys are playing, trying to be big heroes, it isn't fooling me! You're just as bad as the criminals plaguing this city!"

Officer Doggett kept on and on with her rant, making sure to emphasize that she was right and they were wrong. The more she talked, the more the normally-placid Donatello grew angry. Once one too many words exited her mouth, he finally walked up to her and shouted, "Would you just shut up and listen to us for once!?"

The policewoman's jaw clamped shut at his words. He took that as permission to give a rant that could match hers, but he would make sure she listened and got the point. "We risk our lives every day to beat those two and a big smorgasbord of other bad guys! We're out there making YOUR job easier, and all you care about is getting us so people will take you seriously! Maybe they'll take you seriously if you didn't jump to conclusions and jump down their throats all the time for some dumb point you want to prove! If this is how you operate every day, then you're an embarrassment to law enforcement!"

Her jaw slacked open at his words. She saw the others sharing equally-shocked looks, but her mind processed how much his rant stung. She didn't want to admit it, but his words hurt because…they were true. She was so desperate to prove herself to her superiors that she often arrested the wrong people because of a little quirk or small mistake. She knew the turtles were heroes, and she also admitted that her desire to apprehend them stemmed from jealousy. She wanted to catch them in the act just to show she was better…and ended becoming an embarrassment to the police force, after all.

"…You really aren't the bad guys." Her loud voice now soft, she suddenly found herself burying her face in her hands and crying. What was more embarrassing: her actions or crying like a baby? "I-I'm so sorry! I-I just wanted to make the police force proud, b-but I got jealous of you guys and labeled you villains!"

"Whoa, hey, don't cry, dudette." Michelangelo comforted. "We wouldn't hurt the city for, like, the world! We want to protect 'em just as much as you do!"

"We've got the same goals, and you just tried to achieve yours the wrong way. There's always a chance for you to redeem yourself." Leonardo offered a smile as an olive branch to show no hard feelings. "Work _with_ us to protect New York instead of against us."

Raphael couldn't help but smirk, slightly amused by the policewoman blubbering and having her cheeks streaked with tears and mascara. "Next time, though, don't be on some crazy crusade, and go after the people that need cuffs."

She offered a small smile and wiped her eyes, mascara smearing her uniform. She then turned her attention to Donatello, who suddenly looked humiliated by his outburst. He didn't need to be; she absolutely deserved it. That's when she offered her hand and addressed, "Donatello, right? Would you accept a handshake as a peace offering?"

Donatello hesitated at first, but a nudge from Donnie prompted him to return the handshake. The smaller genius felt awkward at first exchanging hands with the woman who hunted them down, but one look at her eyes told him her desire for peace was genuine. That made a smile appear on his face despite how awkward the whole situation felt.

"Like, who would've thought yellin' at her made her be nice to us?" Michelangelo mused.

Raph couldn't help but grin and lightly punch Mikey's double on the shoulder. "Sometimes blowin' a gasket's what it takes to make people listen."

Now that their differences were settled, Leo decided it was time to get to a different matter. "So now that we've stopped Shredder and Krang, how do we get back home?"

Donnie swiftly reached into his belt and found the portal projector he never got to use, and still intact. "We use this! At least now I can test it out!"

"So that means we can come back whenever we want!" Mikey beamed and bounced on his feet, then looked over at their doubles and Officer Doggett. "Are you guys gonna be okay in case they come back?"

"We'll be fine. We fight them on a regular basis, so it'll just be back to the old grind for us." Leonardo assured. "You four should get home; I'm sure your Splinter's worried about you."

Mikey suddenly looked back and forth between Donnie and Donatello, then grinned at the latter as he kept standing by the policewoman. "Now you two get along, all right?"

Donatello and Officer Doggett glanced at each other and immediately blushed. Shaking off the embarrassment, they joined the others in waving the others goodbye and the promises to come back and visit. The five watched as their new friends disappeared with the press of a button and a flash of light. Right when the light vanished did a Channel 6 news fan skid to a halt, followed by a redheaded woman in a yellow jumpsuit and a dark-haired man jumping out. The man had his camera ready and the woman her microphone, but paused when they couldn't find what they wanted.

"Oh, I was THIS close to a new story!" She groaned, microphone dropping from her hand. "Having EIGHT turtles in the city, and now four of them are gone!"

"Sheesh, April, way to ruin an emotional goodbye. And you even managed to get the news van underground, too." Raphael jeered.

Officer Doggett smirked at the news reporter and flashed her badge. "April O'Neil…do I need to remind you of all the warrants I have on you for trespassing?"

* * *

The turtles found themselves back in Donnie's lab after the portal disappeared. They didn't know how much time passed or if time passed at all while they were in the other dimension. One thing was for certain: they were thankful to be home. While they liked their two-dimensional counterparts, they didn't know how anyone could live in a dimension so…ridiculous. And they thought their own adventures were strange; just one in that dimension did it for them. They'd still keep their promise to visit, however.

"Where've you guys been? We've been trying to call you for an hour!"

The four looked to the doorway and found April, Casey, Splinter, and Andromeda, all having worried looks on their faces. That alone told them they were in the other dimension longer than they realized. However, the only thing they wanted to do now was embrace the fact they were home and embrace the people in front of them. Donnie would have fun telling his girlfriend that there was another her, and perhaps take her and the others to meet their counterparts. But a cup of coffee and a box of doughnuts sounded good right now.

"Would you think we're crazy if we told you we have doubles?"

* * *

 **And there you have it! I'd say one day everyone will get to meet their counterparts, and I'd say Donnie's thankful his girlfriend doesn't go crazy like her counterpart does. So, next up will be a Raphril-centric chapter and another upcoming mini-fic involving an alien species looking for revenge for the death of their commander. Should I also mention we'll learn Andromeda's origins and see some problems between Donnie and Chey? Well, just stay tuned as always!**


	24. Power Trip

**Author's Note: Whew, I finally updated! Apologies for being late. I've had another wave of writer's block (and a lot of it is due to the finale that's still tearing me up) and life's been pretty busy. Now we've got another tidbit! This is Raphril-centric, and I based it somewhat on both "The Power Inside Her" and the X-Men: Evolution episode "Power Surge". Let's just say April's having some trouble with her Kraang powers and Raph worries to death over her. Want to know more? Well, read and find out, and be sure to review!**

* * *

Drabble 24: Power Trip

It all started with a killer headache.

April, fresh in college, didn't expect a dull lecture to make an already-bad headache worse. The dull, buzzing pain reared its ugly head that morning, and not even the strongest pain medicine she had put a dent in it. She should've just stayed home, but her need to make a good impression in her first semester of college outweighed common sense. So she ignored the advice of her father, which she already did while they were still mending fences, and went on.

The professor's voice seemed to get louder with every syllable, pounding on her head like a drum. _Just take deep breaths, April._ But even the sound of her own shallow breaths made the pain unbearable. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her scalp and jeans while the lecture drawled on. She squeezed her eyes shut as one or two students curiously glanced at her and wondered what her problem was.

 _'_ _What's up with the redheaded girl?'_

 _'_ _Ugh, can this lecture get any more boring?'_

 _'_ _Doesn't anyone talk about that mutant thing from months back?'_

 _'_ _Why's that April girl acting like she's in pain?'_

 _'_ _If I don't pass this class, Mom and Dad'll kill me for sure!'_

April realized these thoughts weren't hers…they were from her classmates. But she wasn't even trying to read minds, and they were all coming at her at once. All the thoughts jumbled together into a mess, now sounding like loud radio static that pierced her eardrums. She bit back a scream while more thoughts hit her brain like hail on a windshield. Why were they coming? Why wouldn't they stop-

Every lightbulb in the classroom exploded without warning. The pain in April's head suddenly stopped amidst the surprised screams of her classmates. The students panicked at the dark and broken glass, the professor dully called the college custodian to change the bulbs, and April just sat shocked in her seat. If it was one lightbulb, it would be pure coincidence. But every lightbulb in the room blowing up? And the thoughts bombarding her just moments before? That totally WASN'T a coincidence.

April decided she needed to go somewhere other than here…

* * *

"Sheesh, April hasn't texted me all morning."

Raphael tossed his T-Phone up and down and hoped even a small message would come through. He ignored Donatello repairing the coffee maker, Michelangelo tossing a few bits of popcorn at him, and Leonardo and Andromeda watching a new episode of _Space Heroes: The Next Generation_ to listen for that text tone. He wouldn't be this anxious about getting a text from her, but he couldn't stop worrying when she mentioned a bad headache earlier. He didn't receive her usual in-between texts, either…

"You sure it's not because she's, oh I don't know, still in class?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know her schedule, Mr. High-and-Mighty. She's breakin' in-between classes by now and always texts me." Raph looked down at his phone again and sighed, lowering his head and resting his elbows on his knees. "Can't help but worry when she's feelin' bad."

Leo's humor from poking at Raph disappeared, and he looked at his brother with genuine concern. "You did say she mentioned having a headache. Is it really that bad?"

Raph only shrugged. "She said pain meds didn't put a dent in it. I wish she stayed home, but she wants those good grades…"

Now Leo felt bad for poking fun at Raph. He believed his brother was just being overly-protective, seeing as this was April's first semester and she still worked to mend things with Kirby. Also considering the times he worried to death over Miwa being under Shredder's mind control, he found himself hypocritical. Heck, he could say Raph's words made him worry over April, too; she was a part of their family, after all. If April wasn't any better, they'd do what they did the last time she was sick: hover over her until she felt better.

"You may not need to send a message," Andromeda stated, "April O'Neil is present."

Everyone looked to the lair entrance, and there was April trudging towards them. No sooner did she get to the steps of the pit did she suddenly fall forward with a sigh. Raph zoomed over to catch her and lift her to her feet, Leo, Andie, and Mikey now swarming around to check her as well. When April opened her eyes and groaned, they could see she was in horrible pain.

"April!?" Raph asked, voice panicked. "Are you okay!?"

April weakly shook her head and mumbled, "…My head…"

Raph lifted his girlfriend up bridal-style, and Leo declared, "Let's get her to Donnie's lab right now!"

* * *

"Hmm…besides a low-grade fever, all of April's vitals are reading normal."

With Splinter now present in the lab, they all watched Donnie hovering over April as she lay on the examination table. The redhead merely groaned softly when Donnie checked her pulse again and asked her to follow his fingers. The only one not next to the table was Raph, who chewed on his thumb to curb his anxiety. April was a tough girl, so she had to be fine. Yet he couldn't shake the dread gnawing at his mind. There had to be some explanation for her sudden decline in health.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. While we don't have an MRI or CAT scan machine…" Donnie looked to Andie and asked, "Andie, could you perform a full-body scan on April?"

Andromeda stepped forward, and a curtain of light shone out of her palm and hovered over April. Once it reached the redhead's feet, the curtain disappeared and a holographic image replaced it. The cyborg studied the information with slightly-narrowed eyes before showing it to the genius turtle.

"A majority of April's organ systems show normal function. However, there are abnormal fluctuations in her brainwave activity. It would be foolish to say that this was not a contributor towards her headaches."

"Fluctuations in brainwave activity?" Donnie repeated. He scratched at his chin until it clicked, "It has to be her psychic powers." He proceeded to look at April and ask, "April, did anything unusual happen while you were having headaches?"

April managed to crack open her eyes with a sigh. "I…I kept hearing thoughts…from people around me. Then…all the lights…e-exploded."

Everyone froze at that moment. While they knew April still struggled to control her Kraang-based powers, they also knew her powers didn't activate unless under severe emotional distress. The attack by Kraang Prime, the Mom-Thing, Donnie getting injured by Mozar, Sang threatening to kill Anna and Raph…they were all emotional triggers for her powers to let loose. College wouldn't be enough to make lights explode or bombard her with thoughts from other people. Not unless…

"April, perhaps this is stemming from fatigue. You have been pushing yourself with your studies as of late." Splinter observed, watching April avert her eyes over the mention of school. He narrowed his eyes, however, when he also voiced, "Or it is a sign your powers are growing."

April's eyes widened. "M-My powers are growing?"

"For now, it is uncertain. But I would advise not using your abilities until Donatello and Andromeda can find a proper diagnosis." Splinter warned. "I would also advise informing your teachers that you will be resting tomorrow."

Rest tomorrow? But even a day would put her so far behind! "But-"

"I agree with Sensei. You'd be wise to rest up tomorrow." Donnie chimed in with a comforting smile. "I'll call Chey and see if she's got some stronger pain medication."

April wanted to contest and tell them she had it under control now. She couldn't just take the day off, or she would fall behind in her studies and fail her first semester. She already had to catch up with her kunoichi training because of the anti-mutant movement, and adding her studies to that proved too much. She made a move to get off the examination table, but would've fallen flat on her face if not for Donnie and Leo. Then she looked over and saw the worried look on Raph's face. For Raph to visibly show his worry…

"…Okay."

* * *

Raphael found himself unable to sleep. Even though he knew April slept in the guest room, it didn't alleviate the fact she lay sick, and all because of her Kraang blood. Splinter saying it could be stress from school or her own powers going to a new level didn't help matters. He'd scolded her before for unhealthily putting school at a top priority, and it caused a small fight between the two. But he also knew the real reasons why: to make up for falling behind on kunoichi training, and to distract herself from the still-strained relationship between her and her father.

But instead of burying herself in her studies to mask her worries, why couldn't she just _talk_ to him? Wasn't that his job as a boyfriend? To listen to her worries? But then he remembered the biggest thing they had in common: stubbornness. April was always too stubborn to share her problems, just like he was. Yet they always went to each other whenever they did let the walls down. Maybe having her talk about it would help alleviate what built up inside.

 _'_ _I wish she'd start takin' better care of 'erself…'_

While Raph lost sleep over his worries for April, the girl in question only tossed and turned in bed. Resting didn't do anything for the pounding still present in her head. In fact, it only seemed to get worse than before. Why didn't Donnie make Cheyloe come over now and give her that stronger medicine? She wasn't in the mood to even open her mouth to take medicine, or open her eyes and get up for some.

Her hands reached up and clasped her head, her fingernails digging into her scalp. She bit back a groan and fought to get some sleep; something had to make this pain stop. April soon realized getting sleep was the least of her worries.

 _'_ _I wish she'd start takin' better care of 'erself…'_

April's face softened. The thought wasn't hers, but she easily recognized the voice and relaxed. "…Raph?"

 _'_ _Maybe I should make my special pizza noodle soup for April. Ooh, or maybe make some chicken noodle soup pizza! No, no, maybe I'll just make some Jell-O…cherry and pepper Jell-O, that is!'_

 _'_ _I wonder if Bishop would know a way to help April with her powers? It's about time I get back to research on human-Kraang hybrids and do some tests once she's better.'_

 _'_ _I think Andie's really getting into Space Heroes. Wonder if she'll like the comics? I'll let her borrow my collection. Ooh, I should show her my action figures, too!'_

 _'_ _This Space Heroes is very…silly. I must analyze it more as to why it appeals to Leo.'_

 _'_ _If only my expertise in spiritual matters could help April overcome her dilemma…'_

 _'_ _Mrow!'_

The thoughts from everyone else slammed into her at once, coming together in a loud garble like the ones from her classmates. No, not just them. She started hearing the thoughts of _everyone_ in New York. April groaned and dug her nails deeper into her scalp until she could feel blood. Her surroundings suddenly felt like a limitless ocean, and she helplessly floated to the surface. If she could, she could literally drown in the thoughts and the searing pain right now. Honestly, she wanted that escape if it meant no pain. She wanted it all to stop, even if it meant-

"April!"

April's eyes snapped open at the sound of Raph's voice, prompting her to see where she was. To her horror, she no longer lay on the bed…she floated all the way to the ceiling. With a loud scream, she suddenly plummeted down onto the mattress. April went from wanting to just float away into the void to being downright terrified, causing her to pass out from shock. She paid no heed to Raphael pressing his wrist to her forehead.

"You're burnin' up…" Raph sighed and picked April up bridal-style. With his precious cargo in tow, he made a mad-dash for the lab and shouted, "Donnie!"

Donnie snapped out of his thoughts at Raph's shout, turning to see his brother carrying the unconscious April to the exam table. The sudden commotion drew everyone else into the lab and ended with them surrounding the redhead. Donnie felt of April's forehead and hissed at her growing fever, then went to pry her eye open and shine a light in it.

"What happened in her room, Raph?" The genius turtle asked hurriedly.

Raph, visibly shaken, replied, "I got up to check on 'er, and I find 'er floatin' to the ceiling! Then she fell back down and won't wake up! Just figure out what's wrong, Donnie!"

Shoving the frustrated Raph aside, Donnie leaned down and checked April's pulse. "I think you were right, Sensei. I wouldn't doubt she's losing control of her powers; they're growing beyond what she can handle." With a sigh, he murmured, "And the only one who knows what to do is visiting her sister…"

"We must make do without Anna." Splinter stated bluntly. "I can attempt to reach April on the spiritual plane. Calming her mind is priority until she can master this change."

Splinter took a deep breath and placed his fingers against April's temples. He could feel the heat radiating off her skin as he hummed in concentration, and hoped he could get a glimpse of the turmoil inside and how to soothe it.

Immediately he found himself in a void, nothing but darkness in his path. However, upon squinting his eyes, the rat could see a pulsating golden light shaped in the form of a young woman. This had to be April's spiritual form, but a closer look would confirm or deny it. As he stepped closer to it, however, he could see images flashing like a broken television. Events that looked from years ago, one involving familiar men in black suits chasing after a young April, events from when she came into their lives, and recent events flashed painfully. Splinter could also hear garbled voices from what sounded like millions of people. He could then see sudden sparks and explosions like fireworks dotting the void. Finally, to his horror, he saw the humanoid golden light writhing and finally exploding in a large wave, ominously taking the shape of a familiar creature…

A Kraang.

April's abilities were growing all at once…more than she could handle. If they didn't help her control it and fast…

A scream from April suddenly pushed Splinter out, and blew everyone against the walls of the lab. No one had time to process exactly what happened, because they witnessed April suddenly levitating off the table and into an upright position. Her eyes opened to reveal not her cerulean-blue irises, but a ghostly-blue glow. The same glow surrounded her body and chilled the air in the lab. Then they noticed the objects in the lab suddenly floating midair around her…

Donnie immediately gulped, "Oh no…"

Right after Donnie uttered 'no', the objects in the room started spinning violently around April. Everyone had to duck behind Donnie's desk to avoid being hit with glass and metal aimed at random directions. Raph could hear Donnie wince as his equipment was being used as weapons, but there was a bigger issue than that: how to get April back. If they let her stay in this 'supernova' state, as Mikey called it, she could end up destroying her own body. If he could just get to her and reason with her-

"Look!" Donnie pointed to several pieces of metal that literally started to liquefy. "She's actually changing the consistency of the metal on a molecular level! It's like molding Play-Doh! I never thought her powers would be THIS strong-"

Donnie rambling stopped with a well-placed smack to the shoulder from Raph. "Great, Donnie! What's causing it and how do we stop it!?"

"I-I think she's having a-a power growth spurt!" Donnie began as he avoided a beaker. "T-That, combined with bottled-up tension and her powers influenced by her emotions…if we don't stop her, she'll tear apart the entire lair!" He peeked over the edge of the desk and saw the stone-faced, glowing-eyed April posed like a statue. "If we can just reach her somehow…"

Splinter immediately rose from his hiding spot and called, "April, you must fight to control your powers! You must calm your mind, or the entre lair will be destroyed!"

No answer from her. Leo decided to see if he could get through. With a loud voice, he shouted, "April, listen! I know you've been dealing with a lot lately, but you can get through this! Don't lose yourself to your powers!"

Instead of the desired effect, April's face showed frustration and a literal tornado formed in the lab and spilled out into the lair. They could hear the floor beneath them rumbling and the walls cracking loudly under the force of the telekinetic storm. They considered the possibility that they would have no choice but to try and knock her out, but how could they if they couldn't get close?

"Raphael, what are you doing?"

The Turtles and Splinter heard Andromeda's question and looked to see Raph stepping out from his hiding place and making his way towards April. The red-masked turtle held his arm in front of his face to block the force, though it ended up leaving a gash in his arm. He didn't seem to care; he only focused on April.

"Raph, it's too dangerous! Come back!" Leo pleaded.

Raph paid no heed, instead focusing on his girlfriend. She needed help, and he wasn't about to let her destroy herself and everything around her. "April, I know you can hear me! You gotta calm down, or you'll get us all killed!"

April's eyes widened, which caused a psychic gust to hit him and leave him with a deep cut over his lips and cuts on his plastron. But he wouldn't be deterred. "April, I know you don't want to do this. You're scared and don't know what to do, but you don't have to struggle with it alone! That's what I'm here for: to help you through th' tough times!"

The gusts surrounding him slightly decreased in power, and he knew he started to get through to her. He just had to keep it up and get her to calm down. "Remember when you lost confidence after Miwa called you a wannabe? Or when your dad joined the anti-mutant movement? I helped you through those, and I'm gonna help you through everything else, too! Let me know what's botherin' you! Vent all you want! Hell, punch me if it gets it all out!"

Raph's face suddenly softened, and he held his hand over his heart in an endearing gesture. "The April O'Neil I know won't stop fighting. I know you can get this under control…because I believe in you."

Once he saw April's face soften ever-so-slightly, he finally mustered up four simple words, "I love you, April."

Just as it seemed April would power down and regain clarity, she felt another searing pain in her head. She clenched her hands into tight fists and let out a piercing scream, generating a violent shockwave that blew the horrified Raphael back. Everyone else could hear sickening, consecutive cracks as he slammed into the wall and collapsed to the floor. The sight of him on the ground prompted the others to rush to him, dodging the cutting gusts and flying debris.

"Raph!" Leo shook his shoulder in a desperate attempt to wake him up. "Raph, get up!"

"He's not moving, guys!" Mikey glanced at April before staring panic-stricken at his red-masked brother. "Did April…"

Donnie gently turned Raph and gasped, "He's got a crack in his shell!"

Those words caused a reaction in April. Her stone-cold expression morphed into wide-eyed horror, tears pooling in her luminous eyes. The roar in her head petered out and allowed Donnie's shocked declaration to filter through. Raph's shell was cracked, and she did it. He tried to reach her and told her he believed in her, and she let herself falter because she didn't believe in herself…because she didn't believe what Raph told her. And because of it…

…she most-likely _killed_ him.

April let out another scream and held her head in agony. The others braced themselves for another telekinetic blast, but nothing came. Instead, the objects flying around stopped mid-air before dropping to the floor in shatters and crashes. The aura around her slowly fizzled out and the glow left her eyes, and she slowly levitated back down to the lab table. But instead of standing straight, April fell forward, and would've landed face-first in broken glass if not for Andie catching her.

"April!"

 _"…_ _pril!"_

 _"_ _A…"_

* * *

 _"…_ _pril?"_

 _"_ _April?"_

April slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring up at Cheyloe. Lights from above hurt her eyes and she automatically shielded them while the brunette's worried expression came into focus. It was then she realized she was in the lab and lay in the cot in the corner. What happened, and how long had she been out? When she looked up, she could see the guys cleaning things up in the lab; it looked like a storm hit it.

"You're awake…" Chey breathed in relief. "You've been out for hours, April. We thought you weren't gonna wake up for days."

April slowly sat up and ignored the dull pain in her head. Once she looked again, she noticed someone absent among the brothers. She looked at Cheyloe and quietly asked, "W-Where's Raph?"

Chey's expression fell and she turned her head towards the lab table. When April decided to follow, her heart fell into her stomach. Raphael lay on the lab table, heavily bandaged and wearing an IV and oxygen tubes. She could see the others glance at him with sober expressions while they cleaned up the lab. That's when it started coming back to her. She lost complete control, and Raph pleaded with her to come back, and…she slammed him into the wall. She did this to him, to the guy who loved her with all his heart. How could she do this to him?

"You lost control and blew him back, from what Donnie told me. We worked on him until we got him stabilized." Cheyloe began, putting a hand on April's shoulder. "He's got a crack in his shell, a broken arm, fractured ribs, and a fractured fibula. He'll recover…but he'll have to stay off the field for several weeks." She looked the redhead in the eyes and added, "I called Anna…she's on her way back to help you keep it under control."

With a hand clasped over her mouth in shock, April shot up from the cot and rushed over to Raph before Chey could stop her. She almost collapsed from dizziness, but fought it enough to go to her boyfriend's side. She held back choked sobs and cupped his bruised cheek, and guilt settled heavily in her stomach to the point she felt ill.

"R-Raph…", She croaked, "Raph…I-I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"

When April broke down into silent sobs, she hoped it would magically make him wake up, just so she would know he was okay. However, he remained asleep, and didn't know if he would wake up. It made the reality of what she did hurt even more; that she hurt him in a fit of psychic rage. She allowed herself to lose control and now she had to pay dearly. If she just talked to him like he begged her to…

"A-April…let go of my cheek…"

April's sobs stopped, and she looked down to see those green eyes staring up at her. "R-Raph!?"

Leo beckoned the others to the door and immediately led them out of the lab. "We'll leave you two alone…"

The lab doors closed, leaving only April, Raph, and the silence between them. April didn't know what she could say that was stronger than 'I'm sorry', or how to explain to Raph what happened. Raph, meanwhile, didn't know whether he could process that his girlfriend did this to him, or if it would happen again. Both realized now was a good time to follow through with what they should've before: talk.

"Raph-"

"A-Are…you okay, April?"

The redhead blinked in shock and almost looked offended. Why would Raph be more worried about her when he had a crack in his shell? "Raph, are you crazy? Why are you worried about me? I'M the one who broke almost every bone in your body! I let myself go out of control and hurt you, and you're asking me if I'M okay!?"

Raph lightly shrugged, wincing slightly at April's loud tone. "…Why wouldn't I? I'm your boyfriend…I supposed to worry 'bout you."

April shook her head in disagreement. "No…worrying about me shouldn't do THIS to you. I…" Averting her eyes away to hide her shame, she decided now was the time to confess, "I've been stressing myself out with school, and things are still tense between Dad and I, and I've fallen behind on kunoichi training. Everything just seems to be going wrong lately. Instead of talking to someone-to you-about it, I kept it all in and let it build up. I let all of that affect my powers at the worst time, and…now you're hurt because of _me_."

Raph only stayed silent and listened to her vent. He could've said that she was making a mountain out of a molehill; that she overreacted to these things. But it was important to April, and she needed to vent if it helped keep things under control. He knew the risks when he went to reach out to her…and he also knew love made one do crazy things. He just had to ask Leo and Donnie.

Raph's silence, however, didn't bode well with April, and she murmured, "I never want to use my powers again…"

In spite of his exhausted state, Raph widened his eyes at April's sudden declaration. She couldn't really mean that, could she? "April…not usin' your powers could be just as bad as usin' 'em too much. You can't just give up like that…that's not the April I know."

April frowned, "Better I suffer from not using my powers as to hurt anybody I love with them. How can you even want to be around me after what happened? The others are keeping their distance-"

"Because I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose."

April paused when Raph said that to her. Even after what she did to him-intentional or not-he still forgave her? Raph, the king of holding grudges, forgiving her and doing it so easily…this had to be a clone created by the Kraang after he switched bodies with one, right? But she knew the truth, and she didn't want to accept it because she was scared of herself. Raph wouldn't be saying this if he didn't have that much confidence in her, and he was always one for brutal honesty. Loving someone meant being honest with them…even when the truth hurt. Besides, if Raph were in a similar situation, April knew she would've done the same thing and he would've blamed himself for it.

"You gotta get it under control…an' I know you will. Let Anna help you with that part. If school's boggin' you down…me an' Donnie'll help you. You'll totally patch things up with your dad when the time's right. Until then…I'm not gonna rest 'till I know you trust me enough to talk to me."

April felt so touched by Raph's words that she wanted to break down. It wouldn't help Raph's wounds heal, but it would be a start. "…You're the best boyfriend every…y-you know that?"

Raph playfully shrugged, but winced from the pain of his shell and ribs. "…I try."

"Well…s-since you have so much confidence in me, I'm not leaving your side until…until you're better." April bargained in a shaky tone. "I-I think that'll make us even…"

Raph took hold of April's hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles, giving her a sly grin afterwards. They knew Donnie and Chey would hound their way back into the lab to check on them, so they would savor the alone time while it lasted.

Savor it…and talk things out. Hopefully without another power surge.

* * *

 **And that's done! Hope it wasn't too sappy! I'll definitely have some updates for my other stories, but next up will be a mini-fic in this series with, gasp, the return of the Triceratons! Seems as though our alien dinosaurs will be looking for the one who killed Mozar and exact revenge. We'll also have a pretty nasty argument between Donnie and Chey, and we'll be learning about Andie's origins when Fugitoid suddenly returns! Will out heroes make it out physically and emotionally? Well, just stay tuned and find out!**


	25. Triceratons Attack, Part 1

**Author's Note: Whoo, two fics updated in one day, and this one definitely needed updating! This and the next two are all the same story and could be considered a ficlet. Anyway, we'll have certain alien dinosaurs coming back for revenge, but we'll also have our happy couple Donnie and Chey get into a huge fight after having bad days. Plus we'll finally start getting the details on Andromeda's origins and how she came to be what she is now. Be sure to read, review, and you can even drop in some requests for scenarios!**

* * *

Ficlet 25: Triceratons Attack, Part 1 (aka When Bad Days Go Too Far)

 _"I will ask one more time…who is responsible for the death of Commander Mozar!?"_

 _Three Triceraton troops stood silently in front of another wearing a cape and crown. They also happened to be standing in front of a funeral pyre where a dead Triceraton lay. The public would arrive shortly to say goodbye to one of their heroes, but the Prime Leader wanted answers before honoring his commander's memory. If it were the Kraang, he would wipe them out the same way they wiped their home planet out. But the grunts' silence told him there was more to this._

 _"Prime Leader Zanramon…you wouldn't believe us. Even we have trouble believing it." One grunt justified. "W-We were so shocked that we couldn't repair the bomb, a-and the Fugitoid escaped!"_

 _"Whether or not it's believable, you WILL tell me!" Zanramon slammed his fist against the wall of the funeral chamber to emphasize his anger. "Now who killed him!?"_

 _One of the grunts gulped, but finally admitted, "It wasn't a Kraang. It was…a human female. A-A green creature stepped in front of Mozar's blade, and…and she shot him in the head."_

 _Taking a moment to process this information, Zanramon suddenly looked at Mozar's body with a disturbed expression on his face. The Kraang were enough of a threat to their species and others; they were the reason they no longer had a home planet. He thought the inhabitants of that back-water planet were just feeble mammals scared of anything bigger than them. Now he heard that one of those feeble mammals killed his highest-ranking officer with a single shot. If given enough of a plea, he might've spared the humans in his quest to eradicate the Kraang. But now…_

 _"General Zera will want to know this. Inform her immediately…then set a course for Earth."_

* * *

 _Present Day_

Donatello wasn't having a great day, to say the least. Leo and Rap put him in the middle of another argument, Mikey broke his Bo staff attempting to do a pole-vault, and Splinter made him do extra flips for not sleeping. Not to mention Fugitoid blowing up his computer with more messages than he could handle; he ignored them out of spite. Those things, under normal circumstances, he could tolerate and move on from. But the one thing that made these misfortunes worsen was one thing weighing on his mind for the past two years: curing Timothy.

Invasions and near-death experiences put him behind on curing the former Pulverizer. Since he had the resources to make retromutagen, it should've been that easy. Unfortunately, given the circumstances of his mutation and his current frozen state, a drop of regular retromutagen wasn't enough. Not unless he wanted to risk turning him into water. So he worked day and night to rectify what he saw as his greatest failure, at the cost of his health and his mood. And that started with testing another modified retromutagen sample on a piece of the frozen Timothy.

"As much as I want this to be as accurate as possible, I wish I could just snap my fingers and have you back to normal…" Donnie murmured to the frozen mutant across the room. "I'm sorry I haven't cured you sooner, buddy. I've just been really busy lately."

Timothy couldn't hear him, but if this improved retromutagen worked, then Timothy would be human again and returned to his family. Donnie acted fast in putting a drop of retromutagen on the slide and observing the results under the microscope. The cells wriggled in the green background, and the way they slowly took stable shape gave Donnie a sliver of hope.

That hope fizzled out when the sample eroded away like acid eating skin.

Donnie immediately slammed his fist onto the table with a shout and scattered several unused slides. Once again, he had failed results and no cure for Timothy. How many more failures before he found a cure? He couldn't keep taking piece after piece of Timothy to test until there was nothing left. He hadn't faced this much failure since struggling to find the brain-worm cure…now he had another massive failure to deal with.

"Hey Donnie, you okay-"

Donnie swiftly turned around and snapped, "WHAT, Mikey!?"

Mikey jumped back and held his hands up in defense. What in the world crawled up his brother's shell and turned him into Raph 2.0? "Easy, D…just checkin' on you. Oh, and we've got pizza. Are you gonna stop raging long enough to eat?"

He figured Donnie would take a deep breath and calm down and accept the offer of pizza. Donnie accepted the offer of pizza, but slammed his chair against his desk and walked out in a huff. The turtle in orange stood back from his brother and looked at the mess on his desk, sudden realization hitting him. He still couldn't find the cure for Pulverizer, could he? Mikey sighed and wished he could make a cure Donnie could use with the snap of his fingers…but even he couldn't do that.

The others were soon greeted by the sight of the steaming Donatello trudging to the kitchen. They stopped watching a movie on TV to see him going for whatever pizza was left in the kitchen. April and Andie looked back at the TV to halt from interjecting anything. Leo and Raph exchanged glances and quickly decided their brother needed time to cool off. It wasn't the first time they saw Donnie in a foul mood, and it wouldn't be the last.

Unfortunately, Donnie wouldn't be the only one in a bad mood.

They heard heavy footsteps from the tunnels and at first assumed it was Miwa. They were proven wrong when it was Cheyloe, who looked like she just came from work. Instead of her usual smile and chipper greeting, a deep scowl and hunched shoulders marred her face and body. She made no eye contact whatsoever with them as she made her way to the kitchen; for what, they didn't know. Usually when she wasn't feeling right, she went to Donnie and talked to him about it. Considering Donnie was in an equally-bad mood, however…

The others suddenly heard something fall, and heard Donnie shout, "Hey, watch it!"

Curiosity won out and they immediately planted themselves behind the kitchen doorway. Raph was the last due to having to hobble on crutches, but he was the only one brave enough to peek over and see what was going on. There was Cheyloe's purse shoved on the counter, and it knocked over a can of soda that apparently belonged to Donnie. To their surprise, the brunette didn't apologize over it; she only glared at him.

"Well, move your soda can next time!" She snapped, which the others found unusual.

Donnie narrowed his eyes while grabbing an old dish rag. "Well, _somebody's_ not very chipper today."

The brunette suddenly rubbed at her eyes and sighed quietly, "…Sorry, sorry…it's just been a hard day, all right? Let me help you clean it up-"

"Don't." The turtle in purple halted her from grabbing some paper towels. "I can get it _myself_."

As Chey murmured a huffy 'you're welcome', Raph and April watched the two from behind the doorway and wondered just exactly what prompted their behavior. These two barely fought over the last slice of pizza, and the only times they raised their voices usually involved spur-of-the-moment behavior. But these two were simmering over something…something that seemed to click with the couple.

"Don's ate up over Timothy." Raph replied. "Or he's peeved about this morning."

April spoke at the same time, "She didn't get that promotion. Or she had another fight with her mom."

Whatever the reason for their sour mood, it left Donnie and Chey muttering things under their breath and cleaning up the kitchen. It was while they busied themselves that Leo and Andie rushed into the kitchen, the latter with an urgent look on her normally-apathetic face. Leo was the first to notice the tension in the room, paying no mind to the mechanical maiden typing away at a device.

"Donnie, Fugitoid's been blowing your computer up with messages." Leo began, arms crossed. "They're all marked 'urgent'. Have you-"

"I didn't exactly have time to read them all, Leo." Donnie sneered as he tossed the dish rag to the side. "I had more important-and time-consuming-matters to attend to."

The turtle in blue found himself taking a step back. "Okay…what crawled up your shell?"

Chey decided to answer, jerking her thumb towards the turtle while answering snippily, "Mr. Attitude has his belt in a bunch over some spilled soda. I wish he'd realize there's more to life than a sticky counter."

"A sticky counter caused by YOU throwing your purse around!" Donnie argued with a pointed finger.

"It was an accident!"

"It's not an accident with your bad attitude-"

"Silence!"

All heads turned towards Andromeda as she finished typing away at the small handheld device. Seeing that she finally had the quiet she desired, she calmly explained, "I will simply pull my father up via this Holo-Projector and he will relay his message. However, Donatello, I do suggest you not push aside urgent messages in favor of your personal experiments."

Donnie's lips curled into a sneer at Andie's remark. "Excuse me, 'personal experiments'? No offense, but Fugitoid's 'urgent messages' usually involve talking about alien tech. So don't try to patronize what I do!"

"Hey, don't take it out on her!" Chey jumped in, still steaming over Donnie's words. "And don't blow off Fugitoid for your little pet projects! You've been cooped up in the lab too long lately and it seems to be all you care about now!"

"Oh, this coming from the workaholic being ate up lately over a stupid promotion!" Donnie shot back.

"Well, it's certainly more important than whatever pet project you've apparently got now!"

Donnie's eyes widened in shock as he felt something snap at her jab. The better part of him knew that this wasn't Cheyloe; something had her ate up and she just redirected her anger the wrong way. He knew the same applied to himself. He should've calmed down then and there and convinced her that they needed to cool off for a while. Unfortunately, the desires to get the last word and to be right overruled any sense of rationality. Well, if it was going to get personal.

"Well, getting a promotion won't change the fact that you'll have a normal life!"

And then it happened. "Well, things would be so much easier if you weren't a-"

Donnie immediately bolted for the lab before she could finish her sentence, attempting to hide the heartbroken look on his face. He already knew what she was about to say, even as she cut herself off. He didn't need to hear what that tiny part of his mind told him all along. The slamming of the lab door didn't make those thoughts, or his anger, go away. He didn't feel like hearing anything from anyone else.

April immediately went to towards the lab and called in a stern tone, "Donnie, get back here!"

"What the hell is your problem!?" Raph shouted to the brunette. "All this over a stupid promotion!?"

As April ran to confront Donnie, there was a flash of shock on Cheyloe's face. However, it burned out quick to let her anger return, prompting a growl of frustration and bolting for the turnstiles. It was once Raph hobbled in Chey's direction that Andie finally made the device produce a holographic image of Fugitoid. Mikey and Splinter came into the kitchen to ask about the commotion when they paused at the android's image.

"Oh, thank goodness, _someone_ responded! It's not like Donatello to brush me off like that!" Fugitoid glanced around and noticed the absent faces and tense expressions in the kitchen. "Oh dear…did something happen?"

Grimacing, Leo quietly replied, "Well…Donnie and Chey just had a huge fight. Raph and April went after them. More importantly, what's happening on your end, Fugitoid?"

Fugitoid's fiber-optic eyes changed to convey a worried expression at Leo's question. "I'm afraid I have terrible news. It's come to my attention that the Triceratons are planning on returning to Earth."

There were collective gasps from everyone except Andromeda, who immediately put the projector on the table as a tense look crossed her face. The last time they encountered the Triceratons, they almost blew up the city and Donnie almost died. They were obsessed with finding Fugitoid for that doomsday device the former and Bishop mentioned. Did they wish to capture Fugitoid once again, or did it relate to another matter?

"Are they still wanting to take you, Fugi-dude?" Mikey asked worriedly.

Fugitoid's holo-image shook his head somberly. "No…they wish to avenge Mozar. They're looking for the one who killed him. And they won't stop until they find the perpetrators…even if it means destroying the planet."

They gulped and knew exactly who the Triceratons would be looking for: Cheyloe. After all, she was the one who killed Mozar for what he did to Donnie. Unfortunately, the current situation would more than likely make her an easier target. But before they could formulate a plan on what to do, everyone glanced at the suddenly-trembling Andie. The mechanical maiden had her head lowered, though Leo could see her gritted teeth and clenched fists vibrating on the counter.

"…Andie?"

Andie suddenly began muttering under her breath, "Mozar…Triceratons…hurting more innocents. That is all they do…they only know killing…not this time…"

Andie suddenly bolted out of the kitchen to an unknown location. Fugitoid's image desperately reached out for her and he shouted, "No, Andesine, wait!"

His call went unanswered, prompting the android to sigh in defeat. That very call suddenly raised many questions, and Leo was the first to ask the obvious question. "Fugitoid…who's Andesine?"

Fugitoid glanced away in uncertainty for a moment, but quickly decided against keeping secrets. He entrusted them with keeping her safe, so it was time he did something for them in return. "Andesine is Andromeda's real name. The Triceratons are the reason she and I are in our current states. And…"

He paused, but finally confessed, "…the Triceratons killed her mother."

* * *

 **Well, I hope I didn't make Donnie and Chey seem out-of-character here. However, like with many people, having a bad day and not dealing with it properly can lead to some heated words. With these two arguing at the worst of times, everyone'll have to figure out how to get them reconciled before the Triceratons find them once they arrive back on Earth. Plus, Fugitoid will share the story of Andromeda's horrid experience with the Triceratons (but not in the way you think) and learn who Zera is and how she's connected to Mozar. Of course, if you watched Half-Shell Heroes, you'll know who Zera is.**

 **Anyway, after this ficlet's up, I'll do a couple of requests involving some Cheytello and Raphril, and I'll even do a drabble of Casey meeting Gabrielle. Once again, if you have requests, feel free to share! Until then, stay tuned!**


	26. Triceratons Attack, Part 2

**Author's Note: Here's part 2 of the Triceratons Attack ficlet! With Donnie and Chey still stewing over their argument, our heroes finally get the origin story of Andromeda, aka Andesine Honeycutt. Her connection to the Triceratons is explained and a plan of action is formed to stop both her and the Triceratons. Will they succeed, and can Donnie and Chey put their fighting aside to play their parts? Well, just read and find out!**

* * *

Ficlet 26: Triceratons Attack, Part 2 (aka Andesine)

April forcefully opened the lab doors and found Donatello sitting at his desk, clearly sulking and stewing. From her spot at the door, she could see several microscope slides on the floor and crumpled up papers. Then she looked at what had to be the source of Donnie's frustration: the frozen form of that Timothy boy. It could've been a number of things that finally made Donnie snap if not this. Whatever the case, she wasn't going to stand quietly and let him ruin his relationship with Cheyloe.

"What was that all about, Donnie?" April asked, visibly irked by what transpired. "You two were totally out-of-line with each other!"

The genius turtle immediately spun around in his chair and faced April. "I was out-of-line? April, did you hear what she was about to say to me!?"

"She stopped herself, didn't she? Besides, you weren't much better!" The redhead paused and rubbed at her aching forehead, feeling the anger of Donnie hitting her in the face like air from a hot oven. "Look, I'm not defending her; Raph's taking care of her right now. But the both of you having a bad day shouldn't come to this!"

"So you're saying I should just let her bash my so-called pet projects?" His hand wildly gestured over to Timothy's frozen container and he asked, "Is THIS a pet project!? She thinks trying to give Timothy his humanity back is a 'pet project'!?"

April shot back, "Well, did you even tell her?"

Donnie immediately went silent, telling April all she needed to know on that matter. She could see deep in his eyes behind the anger that he wasn't thinking clearly and that he knew it. However, an angry Donatello refused to be wrong about anything. As long as his anger remained, he would insist he was right and that Chey needed to apologize. Knowing what Raph went through right now, Chey had the same attitude. As much as Donnie and Chey loved each other, they were both equally-stubborn.

"Cheyloe didn't mean what she said, and you didn't, either." April stated, her tone going more into pleading territory.

Donnie wanted to argue back. He wanted to point out the times she and Raph got into squabbles. But they never said anything to each other that cut deep. He knew he was wrong and needed to clear his head, but the stubbornness and pride won out. "Just leave me alone, April…"

April readied herself to protest further, to tell Donnie to get his butt out of the lab and go make up with his girlfriend. But when she opened her mouth, Mikey suddenly burst into the lab with a panicked look on his face.

"Guys! Fugi-Dude is on the holo-thing, and…" The turtle in orange took a deep breath into his lungs and panted, "T-The Triceratons are comin' back!"

Donnie's anger momentarily disappeared as he shot up from his chair, sharing April's look of horror. "What!?"

"And Andie's gone! She started muttering stuff about the Triceratons, and Fugitoid said Andie's not her name, and her mom was killed by the Triceratons, and-" He finally let out an exasperated sigh and exclaimed, "Just let him tell you himself!"

Donnie and April followed Mikey out of the lab and stopped when they saw a disgruntled Cheyloe following Leo. A heated glare was exchanged between the brunette and the genius turtle before breaking eye contact. Hobbling behind was Raph, who furiously smacked the smoking ends of his mask tails. April thought she heard shouts coming from the red-masked turtle, but never expected that Chey would set his mask on _fire_. One look from him told her he got the same results she did.

"She refused to buckle, huh?" April asked with fake surprise.

"From your tone, th' same thing happened with Donnie, right?" Raph questioned.

Sighing in defeat, they followed the others into the kitchen and found Fugitoid still on the holo-projector. They also realized it was true that Andie was absent. Raph glanced over and found a worrisome expression on Leo's face that resonated with the worry Fugitoid expressed. In order to find Andie and stop the Triceratons, they'd need a little history lesson.

"So what's your real history with the Triceratons?" Leo asked sternly. "Why did Andie run off at the mention of them?"

Fugitoid sighed and shook his metallic head. His fiber-optic eyes flashed as he readied himself to explain. "Our planet, D'Hoonib, has always been under the control of the Triceraton Empire. I was often acquisitioned by them to create technology as a means for interstellar travel. It was around the time I worked on plans for a teleporter when I met a fellow researcher named Cordelia." If he could, he would've smiled at the mention of the woman's name, and he continued, "We hit it off…and soon, Andesine was born."

Fugitoid brought up an image that resembled a family photo, showing his old self, the woman who had to be Cordelia, and a girl looking suspiciously like Andromeda. "Andesine was a child prodigy, so much so that she became head of biochemical research at the age of fourteen! She didn't have many friends, so she was very attached to us…which made what happened that day much more painful."

Splinter narrowed his eyes and decided to speak, "…What happened, Professor Honeycutt?"

"You see…the Triceratons coveted my research on interstellar travel and black holes, but they also desired my wife's research…into the very soul itself. She believed that a soul and mind could be converted into data and create living machines should one's organic body die…essentially granting immortality. Zanramon himself demanded she hand over her findings, but she refused…and paid the price."

All of them, even Donnie and Chey, cast their eyes down in somber realization. Because Andie's mother stood up to the Triceratons, she died for it. Fugitoid's eyes dimmed and he carried on, "Andesine was hit the worst…but she didn't grieve. Instead, because of what Zanramon did, she decided that all the Triceratons had to die. With her knowledge of biochemistry…she engineered a deadly virus with intention to wipe out the Triceraton population. She achieved this by brutally torturing multiple Triceraton soldiers and experimenting on them. Unfortunately…"

Leo swallowed and cut in, "…She died, too, didn't she?"

"She became the victim of her own creation. I couldn't lose her like I lost Cordelia, so I applied her research and used Andesine as the first test subject. I essentially placed her very mind and soul into a robotic body. It was a success, though she ended up suffering from memory loss. I hoped she would forever forget what she did, but…"

"So there is a desire for revenge on both sides." Splinter concluded. "The Triceratons wish for revenge on behalf of this Mozar, but Andromeda wants to continue her revenge against the Triceratons on behalf of her mother. Neither outcome will bring satisfaction in the end."

That was a lesson Splinter tried his best to bestow on his sons from infancy. Only now did he realize he should've given that lesson to Andromeda, but the look on her face told him only something drastic would dissuade her. However, stopping Andromeda would come second to stopping the Triceratons. If they were hellbent on revenge, they wouldn't hesitate to harm innocent people to get what they wanted. They would target the city again and hope to draw their commander's killer out.

"How long until they touch down?" Donnie asked in a growling voice.

"They're about to hit Earth's atmosphere. If my suspicions are correct, the emperor of the Triceratons himself will be present as well. I've already sent word to Bishop and the Earth Protection Force."

Suddenly, Chey marched out of the kitchen and headed right for the turnstiles. Mikey dashed in her direction and called out, "Chey, where're you goin'?"

The brunette turned to face him with a steely expression and answered, "To get my ammo, what else? They're after me, so I'll deal with them…on my own."

Donnie's eyes widened in shock. Because his anger over earlier hadn't cooled, instead of telling her to stop, he gritted out, "This isn't the time for you to play a hero wannabe. You broke your leg after your last stunt."

Chey narrowed her eyes and spat, "I don't need your input right now! I've done just fine by myself!"

In pure frustration, the turtle in purple shouted, "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you get yourself killed!"

Once the brunette got close to the turnstiles, Raph and April wasted no time in contacting Casey and Miwa and Shinigami. While Leo went to contact the Mutanimals, Splinter was the one to approach this second-youngest son and lecture, "Donatello, whatever problem is between you and Cheyloe, I suggest you put it aside in favor of stopping this second invasion. You are too angry and cannot think clearly."

Donnie immediately narrowed his eyes and threw his hands in the air, arguing, "Sensei, if you knew what she said to me-"

"In the heat of anger. I know you have said things in anger as well, so you are not exempt from this," Splinter easily countered, "Put stopping this invasion first, then I suggest the two of you refresh your communication skills."

"Uh, guys?"

All eyes suddenly went to the TV screen showing a live newscast. Mikey had the remote in hand and gulped the moment the reptilian face cut through the breaking story. It definitely wasn't Mozar, but this one looked meaner. They all stood frozen as the imposing Triceraton glared at the camera and addressed all who listened.

 _"This is Zanramon…leader of the Triceraton Empire. Many months ago, we came to your planet in hopes of cleansing the threat imposed by the Kraang. However, your planet has proved too hostile even without them. You showed your gratitude when one of you primates executed my faithful subject: Commander Mozar. This has crushed our empire in spirits, but the spirit of vengeance is stronger than loss. We are here again, and you will surrender both the murderer and the Fugitoid, Professor Zayton Honeycutt. Failure to do so will result in the extinction of your species. We are here now…do choose wisely."_

The video ended, and the others could only imagine what went on above. Everyone present looked horrified; even Cheyloe returned and cringed from the broadcast. The question now was what they could do. Surrendering Fugitoid and Chey was out of the question, but how would they stop the Triceratons AND chase after Andie?

"Okay," Leo began with a sigh, "Donnie, go meet up with Casey and Miwa and keep Chey out of the Triceratons' sights. Then find a way to take down their mothership." Despite Donnie and Chey exchanging a glare, the turtle in blue turned to Raph and April and commanded, "Raph, April, you guys meet with the Mutanimals and see if you can find a way to repel the ground forces. We need Fugitoid to stay with Bishop unless needed. Mikey, you're with me."

When everyone began to disperse, Mikey went to Leo's side and asked, "What're we gonna do, Leo?"

Leo cast his eyes down. "…We're gonna stop Andromeda."

* * *

Triceraton jets covered the sky like birds and sent people screaming and trying to hide. Some already landed on the ground and troops attempted to interrogate the people for Mozar's killer. One of the witnesses was Casey Jones himself, standing agape at the giant lizards marching through the streets. Did this have to do with Fugitoid again? All he wanted to do was go get his bike fixed, and now he had a Triceraton pointing a rifle at his head and commanding him to surrender.

Silly dinosaurs…Casey Jones didn't surrender.

Casey acted fast and slammed a leftover photon puck into the soldier's face. The Triceraton cried in shock and held his scorched face, just in time for the vigilante to push a damaged telephone pole onto his head with a thunk. There was a grin of victory on Casey's face, but he soon realized the commotion attracted the soldier's friends. Against one, he could manage, but two pointing their guns at him was more than he could chew. Casey readied his hockey stick regardless until sprays of yellow acid hit the Triceratons in their faces.

A mutant white serpent screeched and hit the two stunned Triceratons with her tail, knocking them backwards. Once again, Miwa came to his rescue. She halted in front of Casey and shapeshifted back into her human form, asking, "Jones, what's going on here!? Why are the Triceratons back!?"

"How should I know? They're just here!" Casey exclaimed.

"We should get to the lair and warn everyone!"

Before Miwa could take a step towards a manhole cover, she saw the Party Wagon rushing down the street and coming to a screeching halt. The Patrol Buggy followed seconds later with April at the wheel and Raph the co-pilot. The other turtles and Cheyloe hopped out of the vehicle and found Casey and Miwa to be unharmed. The group stopped short of greeting when they saw more Triceraton jets touching down, something Leo paid close attention to.

"What's going on, Leo?" Miwa asked.

"The Triceratons want Fugitoid again AND they want revenge over Mozar," Leo explained hurriedly, "Not to mention Andie's about to go and kill all of them. I'm taking Mikey with me and getting on that ship before she ends up destroyed."

Miwa frowned and recalled Leo's history of reckless decisions, only this one was over another girl. "I'm going, too. Somebody's got to help Mikey keep you from dying."

Leo found himself letting out a chuckle, but his serious demeanor quickly claimed control again. He immediately turned to Casey and stated, "Stay with Donnie and Chey and figure out how to take out the mothership; meet up with us once she's safe. Raph and April are meeting with the Mutanimals to stop the ground forces until the EPF gets here."

Casey turned to Donnie and Chey and could feel the anger come off them like toxic radiation. The glares exchanged between them told him plenty that something went down, but he wouldn't pry as to what that was. Instead, he opted to nod in agreement and escort the two towards the back alley. As long as they stayed out of the open long enough, they would have time to figure out attacking the mothership. That or Bishop would use something to blow them all to kingdom come.

Once they were out of sight, the Patrol Buggy pulled up next to Leo with Raph addressing, "I'm not gonna be much use out here, but I'll do my best. What're you gonna do if you can't stop Andie?"

The turtle in blue looked down. He asked himself the same question: what if he couldn't stop her and she turned on them? Even after what Fugitoid said she did, she still had to have some good in her behind the anger. He didn't want to resort to destroying her. "…I'll just pray it doesn't come to that."

Before Raph could ask further, April already pressed on the gas and shot forward, leaving Leo still looking at the ground. He stayed that way until Mikey shook his shoulder and exclaimed, "Leo, look! Let's use that to get on board!"

Leo looked up and saw a transport ship. The back hatch was opened and a Triceraton soldier pushed a group of terrified people into it. With a nod of agreement from Mikey, the two turtles charged and immediately disarmed and overwhelmed the soldier with their speed and stealth. They gave a nod to the terrified captives and watched as they fled to find their loved ones in the chaos. While they didn't know how to pilot Triceraton technology, this thing had to have an autopilot to take them to the mothership. Leo and Mikey immediately hopped in and prayed the button they pressed was the right one…

 _Andie…please listen when we get there._

* * *

"-we can crash at my place! They'll never look there!"

Casey went on and on about a possible temporary hiding place and ignored the growing tension between Donnie and Cheyloe. Daggers of fire and ice flew when their eyes locked, both from stubborn pride and poor communication. Casey's voice drowned out in their silence and they momentarily forgot the invasion. In any case, once it was over, they could start one of two things: working things out, or not even bothering. Right now, just hide and then take down a mothership.

A noise in the distance drew the brunette's attention; the faint sounds of shouting and thuds. Donnie and Casey didn't seem to hear it, however. Good…with the both of them distracted by getting to the Jones residence, Chey snuck away from them and ran to the source of the commotion. She hid behind an overturned car and looked to see what went on.

Said commotion was two Triceraton soldiers threatening an old man and presumably his grandchildren. They were shouting at them to give them the 'murderer', pointing their rifles at the terrified humans. Chey felt anger rise that they would threaten people because of her. She wasn't going to let innocent people pay for her deeds. As the soldiers fired up their weapons, she swiftly pulled out her recently-fetched gun and fired into the soldiers' sides, causing them to fall.

The old man and children saw the aliens on the ground, prompting them to run for shelter. Chey breathed a sigh of relief and readied herself to go and rescue other people. However, a sudden touch on her shoulder prompted a scream and her gun raised…only to lower it when she saw the familiar face.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Donnie hissed.

A frown found itself back on the brunette's lips and she replied, "I'm not going to sit back and let people get hurt! Just leave me alone and let me do this!"

The turtle in purple huffed and threw his hands in the air, shouting, "Oh, that's just like you! Doing everything you can to get yourself killed!"

"Why don't you just do me a favor and go take care of that mothership problem? You're good at corrupting everything!"

"Just like how you're good at getting people involved in your messes!?"

Donnie and Chey didn't bother lowering their voices anymore. The more they argued, the louder it got and left them easy targets. The noises drew the attention of two more Triceraton soldiers who noticed their fallen comrades. Then their attention went to the car and the voices behind it.

"Well, it's not my fault that you can't handle criticism! If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my way and stop treating me like glass!" Chey erupted.

Donnie's eyes widened and he finally snapped, shouting, "Well if THIS is how it's going to be, maybe we should just-"

He couldn't finish his sentence when the car lifted behind them to reveal a Triceraton soldier. Anger forgotten, Donnie and Chey let out a scream before both soldiers hit them in the heads with the butts of their rifles, sending them into darkness.

* * *

"W-Whoa, hey, you're-"

The Triceraton guard soon found himself being blasted into the wall of the mothership corridor by an unseen force. The blast was enough to send him to an early grave, but the attacker didn't care. She saw it as putting him out of his misery for having such a terrible leader.

Andromeda-Andesine-slowly made her way down one of the many corridors that comprised the Triceraton mothership. Getting here wasn't too hard. As soon as they started to invade, it was easy to find an abandoned jet and pilot it here. Taking her father's ship or one of the Kraang ships in EPF custody would draw too much suspicion. However, she knew the others…Leo…they were on their way to either help her or stop her. If they didn't suffer from Donatello and Cheyloe's trivial argument, that is. Their anger paled in comparison to hers.

With a stone-cold expression on her face, Andie grabbed a Triceraton war axe from the now-open storage vault and continued her way down the corridor.

This was the day Zanramon would finally die for killing her mother.

* * *

 **So we have Donnie and Chey implied to be captured by the Triceratons, and Andie is already making her way to Zanramon. Once again, I hope I'm not making Donnie and Chey out-of-character, but I know from experience that anger and letting a fight get the better of you makes you do dumb things, like letting arguing get you discovered. Next up with be the third installment (and possibly last) of Triceratons Attack. Will things be resolved with our couple? Will Raph and April find a way to defeat the ground forces despite Raph's lingering injuries? Will Leo and Mikey be able to talk Andie down? Just stay tuned and find out!**


End file.
